Trust Issues
by LiVeUrLiFe011
Summary: Aria's feelings for Jason are growing and it's leading her into troubles. 'A's game has just begun and it's putting people the girls care about into danger. With the romance growing, along with many secrets, will Jason be in it or behind it? And if Aria decides to spill their secret to him, will it all be a mistake or will he be their savor? Who can the girls really trust?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey everyone, so this is my first time writing for Pretty Little Liars. I hope you all like it! Let me know how you like it and as always, review! (Starting from 2x5 – my take on how things go…)**_

Things with Ezra had now become rocky. Aria had been trying to brush it off for some time now, saying that her and Ezra would soon take a step together to acknowledge their relationship as a couple – she just needed to give it some time – but so far, even with the hope of their talk earlier, it deemed that nothing like that would be happening soon. The funeral for Ian was a time when she especially needed Ezra. Not only was this her second funeral she had ever attended, her best friend Ali being the first, but also she looked to Ezra for comfort. She wanted him to ward off those chilling thoughts of 'A' and the feelings of being unsafe. But of course, he let her down. Her heart dropped at that.

When Ezra came through the church doors, it seemed like the perfect chance for them to do be open with each other – just to show that they were a couple now – but instead he put up a mask to greet her and cowered away, sitting in the pew with her parents, staring at her.

She was ticked and disappointed then. Was it always going to be like this? Was there any way to break through to him and announce that they were publically involved?

Aria was getting tired of sneaking around Hollis and hiding out in his little apartment. She wanted more and she was starting to realize she wasn't going to be getting that anytime soon. Aria sighed. Nothing had changed and so far, it looked like nothing will.

But then she spotted Jason. As the funeral was coming to an end and they walked outside, people stood there looking at the coffin. She spotted him with his head down and his fingers laced together in some kind of expression she could not read. And that was when her curiosity rose. Why was he just sitting there on the bench? Was something wrong? What was he doing here? And more importantly, what making him think so hard that made his eyebrows furrow together?

Ali's older brother was someone she knew she should be staying away from. For all that mattered, he could be the one behind the A stalking and all this mischief. Her friends Hanna, Spencer, and Emily even believed it too, or at least thought he was creepy enough to be hiding something. So she knew she should have been staying away from Jason DiLaurentes, but why wasn't she? Why didn't she want to either?

Ever since he had returned Mike back to her doorstep, hell, even before then she had felt something for him. There were always nervous butterflies in her stomach and that unsettling feeling of not being in control of her emotions. She wanted to say being around him was awkward and not right, but it wasn't. It was more of like that feeling you get right before you are going to do something reckless and crazy – like jumping off a cliff. She loved that feeling, it was breathtaking yet scary, making it the combination great.

Now, it wasn't that she didn't feel that way for Ezra, because she did. She loved him with all her heart…right? He was kind and sweet. Through all this time together he had given up everything to be with her and they had such great memories. They had great companionship too, always getting along at his place and talking. Ezra was someone she could always talk to and share her thoughts with. He could read her like a book sometimes too and she loved that about him. But there was something missing now. With Jason around, she didn't always like to acknowledge it but sometimes she would – when Jason was around. There was no longer that strong spark or shiver of the spine with Ezra. He didn't make her nervous or feel excited in a butterflies in the stomach kind of way. Now he was just Ezra, the man she loved – or at least the man she thought she loved.

So after walking with him across the grass on the funeral, explaining her feelings, she broke it off. She wanted another hug from him then, but instead of looking at her, Ezra looked to her parents and all around. Who was going to see and what were they going to think? Aria couldn't take that anymore. She didn't want to feel that pang of disappointment and embarrassment that waved through her when she thought she was being too clingy. She wasn't …right? It was normal for her to want a hug from her boyfriend, whether he used to be her English teacher or not.

"Aria," Ezra said part shocked and broken after she called them off.

"I just can't," she spoke with a small bit of realization hitting her. "I can't keep feeling this way Ezra. I want there to be an us, not just around places like in your office at Hollis or in your apartment. I need more…I want more."

"What happen to baby steps?" he asked me, inching a bit further, but not so much where he looked like it was overly personal.

"Today was a baby step," she told him, now fully reading his face. His eyes were swimming with heartbreak and confusion. He knew he did something wrong, he knew what Aria wanted, but he wasn't willing to give that yet. He wasn't sure if he could take the pressure.

"Aria, we just need more time. I want this too, I do. But do you really think this is the best public place to show your parents we are involved? Aria, we are at a funeral with people all around. Please, you have to think about this."

"I'm tired of thinking Ezra," Aria sighed. "Period. If we can't show my parents we are together, how do you think we can show anyone else we are? They are the first people we should be trying to show and tell. Word around Rosewood of us being together will be even worse for them. I don't think they will want to be hearing the gossip of their daughter dating her past English teacher before anyone else do you? I'm tired of hiding Ezra, and today, I just decided it was enough."

"Aria," he said emptily. With both of them looking from their peripheral vision the two could see Aria's parents start to walk towards them and they knew this conversation would be ending very soon.

"We should talk about this. Come over tonight?"

"I can't," she said shortly.

"Aria," he sighed. "Call me," he begged quickly, looking for a response or reaction just before Aria's parents stepped up towards them.

"Ezra," Mr. Montgomery called, his voice laced with happiness. If he only knew his daughter had been dating his man he wouldn't be so happy. As Aria's dad and Ezra began to talk, Mrs. Montgomery looked at her daughter with worry.

"You okay?" she asked Aria with concern, placing a hand on her upper arm.

"Fine," Aria responded with her head low, sucking up all of her emotions from Ezra.

As conversation flowed between the three adults, she stood there lost in her own thoughts and occasionally looking back to Jason. He was still sitting there, head bowed and looking worn.

"Please, you should join us for lunch," Aria's dad offered, extending the invitation towards Ezra to join him and his wife.

"No, I really shouldn't. I have a pile of papers that needs to be graded, which I should probably go get started on, but thank you," Ezra responded courteously. Another shot knocked down where he could talk to her parents about his relationship with their daughter. But of course, he declined and that was the last straw. Aria knew from right there, she would be sticking to her guns and not getting back with Mr. Fitz. He just wasn't worth it anymore.

As he backed away, giving Aria a knowingly look as he left, she ignored it, dismissing herself from her parents with a quick goodbye and turned away to go talk to Jason.

She approached him, unknowingly what to say or do. _Maybe this was a bad idea_, she thought to herself.

"Thanks again, for not calling the cops on Mike," she started off as Jason turned his head in the slightest to acknowledge that he saw her.

"Of course," he said looking down to his hands. He was playing with a small blade of grass, twisting it over his fingers.

"So…why didn't you?" she wondered, stepping forth to possibly sit down.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I guess because Ali used to threaten me like that."

"Did she ever?" Aria wondered curiously "…call the cops I mean," she explained. He looked to her with those gorgeous eyes.

"No, she was always better at getting her way through blackmail," he spoke. Aria tensed in the slightest thinking about A. That whole thing chilled her and she didn't like it.

"You know, you have no idea how good it feels to know it was Ian who did it," Jason spoke to Aria.

"What do you mean?" she wondered again, this time turning to face him.

"I don't remember anything from that night and for a long time…"

"You thought you might have killed her?" Aria's eyes widened. Oh no.

"Like I said, didn't remember anything from that night. I must have blacked out from the drugs and alcohol. And when I woke up the next day, people were saying my sister had gone missing and I found this note," he said reaching into his side pocket and pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper. On it, it said 'I know what you did'.

"Who gave you this?" Aria wondered, turning it over for any sign of an 'A' or some type of hint.

"I don't know, but for the longest time, I thought it might have been me," Jason said looking down to her hands at the note. Aria was speechless for that short amount of time. What could she possibly say? And this note…was it a mark of 'A'?

"You know, my parents lost the wrong child," he spoke to her sadly. There was so much guilt in his eyes and by the way he looked away from her, he almost seemed ashamed.

"Hey, don't say that," she reprimanded softly. Jason was a great guy underneath it all. Sure, at times when they were growing up, he may have been a little scary and a pushy older brother, but under all those tough guy layers he was really sweet and caring.

"Its true, Ali had it all, she was that child a parent loved to have," he spoke.

"You weren't too bad," Aria shrugged.

"I was the kid messed up with drugs and alcohol," he scoffed slightly, looking to her briefly.

"Look at you now," she said softly, trying to lift that sadness in his eyes. "I think you are doing a lot of good and helping others."

Jason turned his head and looked at her. And when I say look, I mean really look. He stared into her pure brown eyes, mesmerizing every facial feature, trying to understand her.

"Thanks Aria," he finally said softly.

"Of course," she said with the slightest blush.

* * *

So after leaving Jason in peace and trying to figure out what was going on Aria met up with Spencer and had dinner.

"So wait, he doesn't remember anything about that summer? Anything at all?" She questioned to Aria as they ate.

"No, he said he was probably too high and drunk to remember. I mean, he did used to be like that," she said giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh please Aria, you really aren't buying that are you?" Spencer wondered with an eye roll.

"I don't have a reason not to," Aria responded quietly. "Plus," she spoke up, "what was with the note he got. 'I know what you did', what is that supposed to mean?"

"Hello? Aria, how can you not see this? He's with 'A'. I'm telling you. I saw someone in his house and if it was Ian…"

"Spence," Aria sighed.

"And lets not forget about the field hockey stick," Spencer continued.

"But why would your dad be hiding that for Jason if it was him?" Aria asked.

"Who knows," she said brushing off the fact. "But now this Aria. I think it's him."

Aria stayed quiet and picked at her salad. "Spence, I just don't think it's him."

"Aria!" Spence reprimanded.

"How's Melissa?" Aria asked, trying to change the topic. Spencer sighed, "it's a girl," she told her friend. "The devil baby of Ian and my sister is going to be a girl."

"You're really going to call it the devil baby?" Aria asked with wide eyes.

"No, not forever," Spencer sighed. She set down her fork and looked to Aria. "Is it weird that I'm happy? Like…I can't wait to see what she looks like. I'm going to be an aunt."

"Spence, I think that's great. It's definitely okay to be happy. It's your sister and she's having a baby. You're going to be an awesome aunt," Aria smiled.

"Thanks," Spence said back with a grateful look. From the stress of the week piling up on her, she found that Aria's words were a real help and her shoulders relaxed the slightest.

Both of their phones suddenly beeped before they could go to their next subject. Both of them tensing, they pulled out their phones and checked the text message.

Emily.

They sighed with relief.

"She has something," Aria stated in more of a curious tone.

"Let's go," Spencer said already pushing her chair back and setting down money for the food. Following her lead, Aria did the same and they rushed off to meet the rest of the girls.

* * *

Somehow they ended up at the cemetery. One of the creepiest places to be at night, well, for Aria anyways. With flashlights in everyone's hands they followed the map and halted when a projector began playing a video. Each of the girls were secretly freaking out all their own, but it was when Ali got up from the ground that they were all stunned. She was still alive – Ian didn't do it.

"Where is it coming from?" Hanna said the most panicked.

"I don't know!" Emily said in distress. As the girls continued to look around for the source, the movie came to a close and they were left with darkness again.

"Lets get out of here?" Aria suggested.

"Yea, lets go," Spencer agreed, with the group rushing away from the cemetery as fast as possible.

_**A/N: Like it so far? Yay or neigh? I know its kind of like the show with only a few changes but I promise once everything gets flowing it will stand all on its own. Please review and let me know what you think!**_


	2. Chapter 2

The next evening after recovering from their scare at the cemetery they went over to Emily's and folded programs. The group hadn't really had much of a chance to talk about everything besides the other night. Since the fashion show was coming up, it made Spencer busy and things with Aria's family, made her busy too. So each of the girls were dealing with their own lives and dramas – boyfriends, ex- boyfriends, and family all raveled in one.

As they talked on Emily's bed folding programs Aria's phone rang.

"Oh Ezra?" Spencer gleamed.

Aria gave a forced smile and all the girls laughed a bit. She had not disclosed her ending relationship with her English teacher to them and she preferred rather not to right now anyways. It was Jason DiLaurentis who had texted her and if she was to ever admit that to them, Spencer would be flipping out. Whatever was going on between Ali's older brother and her was to remain between them. They would be informed of anything important of course, but right now, he just wanted to talk.

"Guys, I'm going to go take care of this," Aria said holding up the back of her phone while sliding off the bed.

"Tell Fitz we said hi," Spencer teased as the other two laughed. Aria put on another fake smile, keeping quiet with her head down while walking out of the room and away from the house.

Jason had pulled up his car towards the curb across the street from Emily's. Glancing back at the house to make sure none were around to see her, Aria walked towards Jason and his car with the slightest smile.

"Hey," she said, feeling that fluttering feeling in her stomach.

"Hey can we talk for a second?" He asked her.

"Sure," she replied hesitantly, looking back to the house to make sure the girls were still inside and not lurking around. Getting into his car, she took a breath and then turned to him.

"Look, yesterday at the funeral, I probably said some things that I should have kept to myself," he said while carefully looking at her.

Somewhat surprised, and a little hurt, she thought about his words. "I thought that…you felt better knowing it was Ian?" she asked trying not to think of herself in that equation. Did he not mean to open up and tell her those things? Was he trying to say something to her and she wasn't getting it?

"I did, I just…I don't think that should really be getting around," he said with a sigh.

"I wont tell anyone," she said furrowing her eyebrows. Did he really think of her that low? But of course, she did tell her friends. Was that what he was trying to say? Jason swallowed hard, looking at her with such serious and grateful eyes.

His stare felt so intense that it made Aria fumble on her words. "Uhh, I mean, I kind of owe you anyways right? After how you helped out with Mike, it's the least I can do – I kind of owed you one." He gave a smile of his own to that and Aria's heart lifted. Silence passed amongst them for a few seconds and she wasn't sure what to do.

"I should probably get back," she said looking to the house. "We are folding programs for the fashion show tomorrow."

"Ah," Jason said with a knowing look. His shoulders went a bit stiff at that and he tried to give her an understanding look.

"My mother is coming in tomorrow. Her last event before stepping down from the board," he said nodding.

"Isn't she the board?" Aria said slightly laughing. Jason gave a small smile to that but then looked away while talking. "She was on it for Ali really. The fashion show was what Ali lived for."

As Jason looked back to Aria, Aria's eyes fell and she felt a pang of sadness for her dead best friend. Finding a way to hide her emotions, Aria turned towards the door and gripped the handle.

"I should go," she said softly. Giving him the smallest of smiles, she pulled on the lever and slid from the leather. With one last look to Jason, she pulled herself together, holding her torso and walked from the car.

* * *

She walked back into Emily's house; walking upstairs to try and prepare herself for the questions her friends may ask her. Was she ready to tell them that she had broken it off with Ezra? Was it appropriate or the greatest time?

Crap, now she was sounding like her ex. It was the reason she had broken up with him in the first place – timing.

"Hey, so what did Ezra have to say?" Spencer teased when Aria reappeared.

"We broke up," she said bluntfully.

"What?" All the girls asked shocked. Aria gave a forceful laugh and kept her arms wrapped around herself. "Yea."

"Aria, I'm so sorry," Hanna said with sad eyes.

"No, its okay," Aria quipped, "I'm the one who did it."

"What?" they all shouted again in shock. With mouths agape Aria knew she was in for the long haul of questions.

"Is this because of Jason?" Spencer asked with narrowed eyes.

"No," Aria answered hesitantly. It wasn't right? He wasn't the one who made her disappointed inside or seemed to be letting her down continually. He wasn't even the one asking for a secret relationship (or a relationship at all really).

So sitting back down on the bed with her phone in her lap, she picked up the paper program and began folding it. While doing that, she explained to her friends how it wasn't working out. She was tired of hiding and sneaking around. And now, especially, with his ex-fiancé entering the picture, working with him at Hollis, she couldn't do it. She wanted to be his and she wanted to be public, but he couldn't and wouldn't do that for her.

"Okay, but then why did Spencer bring up Jason?" Emily wondered confused.

"I talked to him after the funeral," I explained.

"Yea, I said be careful," Emily shrugged.

"He told me how he didn't remember anything from that night when Ali was killed."

"What?" Both Hanna and Emily said with wide eyes.

"He was high and drunk that night," Aria explained, trying hard not to cower from the looks her friends were giving her. "Spencer thinks that Jason might be 'A' or working with whoever he…she…they is/are."

"Aria!" Hanna scolded.

"We can't just go around accusing people!" Aria exclaimed back. "We just did that to Ian and look how that ended up – he wasn't the killer. We've done it to both Toby and Caleb before too and they haven't been in cahoots with 'A' either. I don't think Jason did this you guys."

"But he's hiding something," Spencer said slowly and carefully as if she was trying to get it through her head.

"Maybe," Aria shrugged, trying not to protest some more, "but I don't think it's as bad as what we think it is."

"And if it is?" Emily wondered carefully.

Aria shrugged. There was just something inside of her that didn't think it was Jason. Of course, to her friend's eyes, she was now somewhat involved with Jason and had biased feelings towards him. It was a lose/lose battle; there was no fighting with them.

"Just be careful okay?" Hanna said reaching over to pat Aria's knee. It was her acceptance to it all. Appreciation washed over Aria and she let out a small sigh of relief.

"We don't need you being checked into the hospital too," Emily stated with a small smile. It was her way of saying alright too but same as Hanna – be careful. Aria let out a laugh and nodded. With that, the topic was dismissed and things went on…

* * *

The next day was Saturday, the time of the fashion show. Around 10ish, Aria was called over to Spencer's.

"He was yelling?" Aria asked as Spencer and her talked about her dad.

"Yelling yelling," she replied.

"What do you think was going on?" Aria wondered. Mr. Hastings was always the one to protest and pick a fight but he was never the one to make a scene about it. Him yelling at Jessica DiLaurentis, Ali's mom was something to really reflect upon.

"Do you think my dad knew I was on the other line and hung up when he was talking on the phone with her?" Spencer said with her fingers tapping against the counter nervously.

"Did he bring it up to you?" Aria asked.

"No, but I mean, I kind of tried and he lied to me – to my face Aria."

"What do you think he has to hide?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but I think the question is what is going on with Jason?" Spencer said laced with concern and bitterness. "What is he hiding?"

"What if he's not hiding anything," Aria sighed. She was getting real tired of this same old fight only with different words.

"Aria, he told me he was living alone but there was someone in that house. I know it – I wasn't imagining it."

"Okay well, maybe it was someone – but it wasn't Ian."

"So then who?" Spencer challenged. "Or what? He's hiding something."

"Maybe he is, I don't know. But Spence, you have to admit, the guy is going through a hard time. Maybe he just does all these things, like covering the windows or fixing his old house to keep him sane. It could be how he copes. I mean it must be hard coming back here right? Maybe he's just trying to deal with things. Who knows how he really feels."

"Well apparently you do," Spencer muttered before taking her mug of coffee to her lips. Aria tried to push away the wave of embarrassment by covering it up with an eye roll.

"I'm just trying to be human Spence. I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt instead of accusing him like we did with Toby and Caleb."

Spencer sighed and then turned to her computer. Her and Aria were going to get nowhere with this topic. Aria could be so stubborn and get too involved with things to not see the obvious. If Spencer had to, she would prove it to her best friend that Jason DiLaurentis was somehow dangerous or involved with 'A'. He was covering something up and she was going to find out what.

"I just got an email from Ali's mom," Spencer blurted out while going stiff. Putting the Jason thing aside, they both seemed curious. "What do you think the email says?" Aria wondered peering over to towards the laptop screen.

"I don't know! I'm too scared to open it," Spencer exclaimed rigid. Aria had to agree with her in the slightest. With 'A' still around, they were all scared as heck, even to breathe, and with Jessica DiLaurentis trying to get in contact with them, something had to be up.

As Spencer babbled on with worry, Aria's phone beeped too. It was an email from Mrs. DiLaurentis also. Being brave, she clicked it and read what it said.

"Why does Ali's mom want to have lunch with us at 11?" She asked Spencer, who had stopped rambling on to watch her. Both of their eyebrows arched and they pondered the thought.

'We'll all be there,' Aria quickly replied on her phone to Jessica's email, as Spencer called Emily and Hanna.

* * *

It was awkward to say the least, to see Mrs. DiLaurentis in person. With a Bloody Mary being the first thing the woman ordered and the instruction to keep them coming, all four of the girls shifted in their seats and glanced to each other.

"So what are you getting Hanna," Jessica asked, already slightly tipsy.

"Um…" she answered clearing her throat, "Chinese chicken salad."

"Alison's favorite," Mrs. DiLaurentis smiled. All of the girls looked away from the mother at that and Aria swallowed a lump in her throat.

"So we were surprised that Jason is back," Spencer said starting off another conversation. Aria shifted in her seat a bit, not liking the start of this.

"We couldn't believe he moved back into your old house," Emily added.

"I don't consider that our old house anymore," Mrs. DiLaurentis said looking to her Bloody Mary. "Jason had recently come into some family money and decided to move back here. He marches to the beat of his own drum, both of my kids do – did," she quickly fixed. A wave of awkwardness and gloom spread across the table. With Jessica's presence, the absence of Ali seemed really true. It was painstakingly so and none of them liked that.

"Well, I was going to wait, but what's the point?" Mrs. DiLaurentis said getting up from her seat. She wobbled in a minor way, her legs seemingly like jelly if you looked close. As she walked towards the other end of the table, all heads' turned to her. The woman pulled out long white boxes for each of them.

"Go ahead and open it," she said staggering back to her seat. Watching her carefully, they did as instructed and found dresses. They were Ali's.

"She would have wanted you all to wear them for tonight," Mrs. DiLaurentis said, finishing off her second Bloody Mary and starting her third. The girs' heads swung from the adult back to look at the dresses. This was crazy. Ali would never had wanted them to wear these. She practically cursed it.

The look on Mrs. DiLaurentis' face seemed so happy and full of pride; the girls had a hard time saying anything.

"Ali picked these out herself," She said with watery eyes. "It's sad to think that she will never have the chance to wear these."

A punch to the gut hit Aria and she felt sick to her stomach. Closing the box as Jessica continued to talk, she carefully and inconspicuously pushed the box away from her. She didn't want any more reminders of her dead friend – this was enough.

"When I heard you four were going to be doing the fashion, I thought it would be perfect," Mrs. DiLaurentis said looking to each and every one of them. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer all seemed to be too stiff and shocked to talk, and it was Aria who looked to the woman first.

"Mrs. DiLaurentis, are you trying to tell us you want us to wear these tonight?" Aria swallowed hard, trying to get her head wrapped around this. All of the girls looked to each other and knew it was getting harder and harder to say no.

"You girls keep her memory alive – the four of you together…please, say yes?"

All of the girls subtly looked at each other, each trying to put a smile on their face.

"You can get back to me," Mrs. DiLaurentis said. Aria opened her mouth to speak up and say they would but it was hard to do such a thing when each of them were trying to get their heads wrapped around the situation.

After the woman left, the four of them as a group talked about it.

"There is no way in hell I'm wearing this dress! No way!" Hanna said.

"Why not?" Aria tried. She had felt so bad for Ali's mom. The death of her daughter was killing her and she could easily see that. If the dresses would give the woman some closure, Aria would do it.

"Because its freaky!" Hanna exclaimed, trying not to be too loud.

"It's a tribute," Emily sighed.

"Put some pictures together, her favorite song and there you go," Spencer said slouching in her seat.

"Its just too weird. These are Ali's," Hanna said.

"She never actually wore them," Emily said sadly.

"Well she tried them on! It's good enough for me," Hanna sighed.

"Hanna, we can't just say no. Look how hard it is for Mrs. DiLaurentis," Aria sighed.

"Jessica already passed this with the board so I'm sure it's already done you guys. Its not like we can really say no. I will just have to tell the fashion committee about this."

Hanna folded her arms and scoffed. "So what? Now we have to pick out pictures of one of our best friends? It feels like we just buried her!"

"Please don't tell me we have to run those passed Ali's mom," Emily said, looking a bit sick. All went quiet.

"…I can run it passed Jason," Aria spoke up, "I'm sure he could tell us what to use and not to."

"Are you sure you want to go over there?" Emily asked now concerned about her friend's well being.

"I'll have him meet me somewhere…like the school courtyard," Aria shrugged. She could feel Spencer's eyes on her and she shifted in the slightest, trying not to look at her.

"Well, its better than running it past Mrs. DiLaurentis," Hanna grumbled.

So it was settled then. Aria was going to meet Jason and go over pictures…


	3. Chapter 3

Aria went home after that dreary lunch, throwing her bag on the counter and walking up the stairs to her room with heavy footsteps and a long sigh escaping her mouth.

Plopping on her bed, she went over the long day she seemed to be having. First Spencer's drama with her dad, then the terrible lunch with Mrs. DiLaurentis and now puling out photos of her dead best friend. Swallowing that lump in her throat while also trying to push away the grievance she wanted to do, she moved off from her mattress and went on the hunt for a certain box of photos.

It only took her a few moments to find the specific box of pictures that held the most recent pictures of Ali. As she flipped through each one, she could remember the day and the specific memory of when the image was taken.

"You know I can call Jessica if this is too much," Aria's mom said walking into her room.

"No, its okay," Aria said with unshed tears and a pretty well composed face. "Just a lot of memories and good times."

"Its nice, what you girls' are doing," Ella said now going to sit across from her daughter. "It's very sweet."

"Thanks," Aria said in the smallest tone. It may have been a good thing to do, but it didn't really feel like it. To be honest, it didn't really feel right. Wearing Ali's things and dedicating the show to her. Sure, it was her best friend, but to be honest Ali could be a bitch sometimes and Hanna was right too. Ali had those dresses on. It was her body, her flesh and skin, against the fabric and now they each had to wear them.

"I like this one," Mrs. Montgomery said, picking up a picture sprawled across Aria's bed. It was Ali, in her yellow shirt when she first got out of the cab. It was taken the afternoon before she went missing and that made Aria sick again.

"Thanks mom," Aria said swallowing hard. Thinking that she was helping, Mrs. Montgomery smiled patted her daughter's leg and got up, leaving the room.

* * *

They sat close to each other at one of the bench tables in the courtyard. Just an inch or two was between them, with a laptop sitting there. Aria tried as hard as she could, keeping her composure and dealing with Jason at the same time. She went through photo after photo, smiling at some as they discussed what was appropriate for the show and not.

"Where was this one taken?" Jason asked as he caught Aria happy.

"I don't know," she replied, hiding the tiny smile that came over her with her hand. So many great memories. "The Hastings's lake house maybe."

He nodded, glancing over to her again before going back to look at the screen. As the two paused for a second, Aria looked over to Jason. He seemed tense.

"What?" she wondered softly. He took in a deep breath then and looked at her with his hands crossed. "Did my mother ask you guys to this?"

Aria's thoughts went back to the lunch the three of her best friends and Mrs. DiLaurentis had just a while ago, and Aria quickly banished the thought.

"What? No," she said trying to give him a smile while glancing down towards the screen. As she looked back up to him, he gave a knowing look and she dropped the façade. "Okay, yea."

He sighed at that answer, looking away for a second so he composed himself.

"It's okay. I mean, we get it. How did you know?" Aria wondered.

"It's just something she would do," he shrugged. The two stared at each other for a while, almost like they were reading each other's souls. With a blush, Aria looked back down to the screen and changed the picture.

It was the one her mother had picked out, the shot that Ali didn't seem to see as it was taken of her smiling as she got out of the cab.

Aria again, grinned at this photo. It was her off to the side that her best friend was beaming at. It was the happiest she had seen Ali too. She was so much lighter and a lot less snappy towards them.

"This is the last one of her that we took. It was when she got back from your grandma's in Georgia. She came straight to Emily's," Aria explained with a small laugh laced in her voice. It was funny how much Ali really knew them too. Somehow she always knew where to show up and when.

"Use it," Jason encouraged Aria, as he stared at her, soaking up her beautiful smile. "She seems really happy there."

"You know, right after she left us, she went straight home for dinner and then head to Spencer's for the sleepover."

"So?" Jason asked, somewhat confused.

"I just wondered…you know, if you remember?"

"I don't," he said turning to her. "Aria, I told you, I don't remember anything except the next day when the police asked me questions." She stared at him for those seconds then. "You know," he scoffed, "this feels like an interrogation. What are you trying to get at?" he wondered.

"I just-…" Aria sighed. "I didn't know if it would maybe jog your memory, or if this would be too sensitive for your mom to handle."

"I wouldn't really know," he said now getting edgy, "my mom and I live on completely separate planets."

"I know…I mean, right, I just-…" she stumbled. How could she possibly tell him anything and without explaining or giving away 'A'?

"Aria, why did you ask me here?" Jason wondered. He now, was staring to feel used and hurt. His interpretations of why Aria wanted him here was wrong and now he felt like a fool.

"I thought you might know what pictures to use," Aria explained, while trying to keep to herself that it was also because she wanted to see him and be near him. She wanted answers like her friends too, of course, but she also wanted to help him and see him. Was that so bad?

"You know what," he said getting up, "use whatever you want. I'm sure whatever you guys pick will be fine."

"Jason," she said shutting her laptop and now feeling really bad. He was mad – at her. Her thoughts Spencer and the rest of them had been pushing at her, that Jason had been hiding something, was getting to her and she just wanted some answers.

"This was a mistake," he said holding back anger, "and I know now not to make the same one again." He took his black leather jacket in his smooth, warm hand and walked off.

Aria sighed, tossing her head up to the sky while blinking away some tears. She had just blown it with Jason and she knew it was all her fault. She had poked and prodded him when really she didn't want to do that at all.

* * *

Rehearsal for the fashion show was up next and Aria was ready to pull her hair out. Mona was in charge and she was knit picking everyone about everything. First the girl wore flats instead of heels, then another girl needed to learn how to 'walk better' and now she was making fun of Aria's legs. Aria had had enough and she couldn't wait to get this ball rolling.

As Spencer walked away to go talk to Toby, it was the three of them left, standing near the back of the stage talking.

"So how did it go with Jason?" Hanna wondered.

"Not as good as I pictured," Aria sighed.

"What do you mean?" Emily wondered.

"I brought a picture of Ali that we took when she first got out of the cab, coming back from Georgia. Anyways, I sort of questioned him about it. He got upset with me and stormed off…not that I blame him."

"Why…?" Emily spoke confused.

"The guy doesn't remember anything and I kept pestering about it, I guess. I don't know, I feel bad for trying to accuse him of holding something back from me."

"Well, we do have our suspicions," Hanna said in that 'I know what I'm talking about' kind of way.

"Do we?" Aria asked her friends.

"Aria," Emily sighed.

"Guys, lets not start this now," Hanna said before going to walk down the runway as Mona called for her.

So after rehearsal was over, it was time to get ready for the actual show. They were all sentenced to either go home and pick up their things or start getting ready back stage. As Spencer had gone home, the three girls headed to grab a spot in front of the mirror and went to get ready.

"Hey Em, where's your dress?" Aria wondered as she applied on some make up.

"Here as we speak," she smiled, glancing into the mirror and seeing Samara walking in with it. As the girls' chitchatted, Aria focused on her make up and wondered what Jason was going to think of her. She really messed up and in all honesty, she wanted to look perfect for tonight…and him.

"Was it just me or did they seem clingy?" Emily asked her two friends.

"Maybe a little," Aria shrugged, while putting on her blush.

"Well…" Hanna said ready to start a full on ramble (and that's what she did).

Aria's makeup was now done and her best friend seemed to be just staring out into space after the whole Samara thing. "Emily?"

"Did you need help getting into your dress?" Hanna asked.

"I'm sure Samara will be here soon to check on you," Aria pitched.

"Yea, I'm fine – I got it," Emily answered, putting down a make up brush and walking away.

"We need some drinks," Hanna said standing up.

"Is that really a good idea?" Aria wondered to her.

"We need it," Hanna stated before walking off. So now it left Aria all alone and to herself. She was unsure what to do since her make up was all ready and all was left was her clothes. Sitting there in front of the mirror, she let her thoughts wander for a little while before pushing it away with a shrug and going for some hand lotion.

At that time, Jessica DiLaurentis was walking by, along with Jason right behind her. Jason had looked up in the slightest and Aria seemed to have caught his eye. He stopped almost right in front of her – her mouth being agape preparing to say something. As he looked into those beautiful eyes he loved, ready to compliment her, he remember what had happened between them earlier.

Pushing his feelings away, he dug his hands further in his pockets and followed his mother along to go on stage. He looked to Aria occasionally though. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her beauty and body. She was in a short robe, a dark red and black that looked absolutely stunning on her.

As Hanna walked by, Aria's attention was carried elsewhere, but that didn't stop Jason from drinking her in.

"I thought you were getting champagne," Aria said to Hanna.

"They were out," was Hanna's sigh as she sat back down. With a weary smile to her, she looked back to Jason, who was still staring at her. Trying to convey with her eyes how sorry she was to him, all he could do was look at her, before he was announced onto the stage with his mother.

* * *

It was show time and Mona was stressing hard. Poor Spencer looked like she was about to pull her hair out, or smack the squeaky little girl. Mona directed them all perfectly, even though she acted like a tyrant. They walked out two by two and it was actually really fun.

All four girls strutted their stuff down the runway and Aria tried not to pay much attention to Jason who was sitting in the front row, staring at her every move.

"Keep your eyes forward," Mona scolded to Aria, as she got ready to walk down the runway again.

The show was going by fast and all the girls were having so much fun. Jason was no longer the only thing on her mind, as she could see her mom along with her friends' moms.

With cameras snapping and flashes going all around, Aria actually felt at peace. Well, for a while anyways. The last part of the show was coming and it was time to give memory to Ali. Aria tried not to feel sick as she put on her dress, along with the other girls and got in line to walk down the runway.

Pictures of Ali appeared on the screen behind them and Aria went to put on a smile. This was for their best friend. The one who brought the four of them together – for that, she would always be thankful.

Music began to play and both Aria and Hanna walked down with a nervous smile. Each of them looked beautiful in their own way and it felt good to show off Ali's style. Swinging their hands together as they walked, the pair waited for their other friends, creating a new memory to share as they made it.

Jason couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of Aria, yet Aria wasn't sure if that was because it was his sister's dress she was wearing or because of her. Either way, she enjoyed the attention she noticed from him and hoped he saw how sorry she was for earlier.

Suddenly the music changed and it was announced 'the bitch is back!'

The lights changed to reds and yellows and the four girls were bewildered to what was happening. Ali's pictures were now being modified and the rush of fear they felt was on high. Was this 'A's doing? Was she/her/they here? What was going on? How did they do this?

Spencer seemed to be the first one to gather her bearings as she ran off the stage and went over to Noel for him to stop it. As for Hanna, Aria and Emily, they seemed beyond lost. Hanna was shouting to Aria over to the music asking what to do while Emily just seemed terrified. Grabbing Emily's hand, Hanna walked them back down the stage and towards the exit of it all.

Now it was only Aria, who was looking to Spencer and the crowd to do something. The poor girl seemed frozen in place wondering how such a thing could be happening right now. Poor Mrs. DiLaurentis, and Jason. God, why were people this cruel?

As the production stopped, it was Mrs. DiLaurentis who got up and walked away first. She looked beyond heartbroken and when Jason stood up, looking to Aria who was still standing on stage, he gave her a sorrowed look and walked off to find Jessica.

The girls' changed clothes before getting together to talk. Spencer had tried to contact Mrs. DiLaurentis to say how sorry she was but Jason said she was too emotional to talk. It happened all so fast.

"Who do you think did that?" Emily wondered.

"I don't know, but of all the times, poor Mrs. DiLaurentis," Aria sighed.

As they continued on, the microphone squeaked and the projector lights turned on.

**My dresses. My game. My rules bitches –A**

'A's message startled them all, and with already being shaken up, they wanted to bolt out of the place as fast as possible.

"You coming?" Spencer asked to Aria as she was empty handed and looking somewhat lost.

"Yea, I just have to grab my stuff. I'll catch up with you guys later," she said rushing off as the message disappeared. Going back behind the stage, Aria grabbed her bags and quickly stuffed her things inside there. This was all too chilling and unsafe for her. Who was 'A' and where was she?

"Did you want this back?" Noel's voice asked, startling her from behind. How long had he been there? Feeling a pit rise in her stomach and chill down her spine, she drew in a breath and looked to the CD in his hand. "I would hate for it to get you and your friends in trouble."

His voice was laced with a hidden meaning and she felt a little more than frightened. Aria swallowed hard, subtly backing away a few centimeters again as they talked. Noel's stare was hard, cold, and seemed calculating. What was he going to do?

"I assumed that that was yours," Aria replied boldly. He stared at her then and she made sure to keep the stare level with his. She would not back down; she would not look frightened. And thank God when it was Jason who walked over to her, scoffing his shoes against the floor to announce his presence as he stood somewhat near her.

Aria finally took a glance to him, whose hands were in his pockets and looked to her swallowing hard. He put on his tough guy look and glanced to Noel with his CD. "What's that?"

"The unplanned finale," Aria answered as Noel tried to stare the DiLaurentis down.

"Hand it over," Jason commanded to the other man. Noel just stared at him some more, which made Aria all the most tense and freaked out. Noel did finally hand it over though and it was Jason who broke it in two.

Both Noel and Aria seemed a little surprised at his move, but Aria was more thankful than Noel who looked severely pissed. Giving one last glare/stare to Aria, Noel made his way out and Jason then stood in front of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Aria was now getting those butterflies again. As he faced her and stared her down, she tried to brush away the worry from Noel, the thoughts of 'A' and focus on Jason. He seemed to read her like a book though and instead of saying something, he glanced over to her stuff and she went back to packing it (a little more peacefully I may add). They walked together back out towards the stage, him taking her bags from her hands, and finding a seat where they could sit.

"I'm going to go grab the dresses," Aria said softly. With a look from Jason, she walked back off, leaving her stuff with him and sucked in a breath. A long day wouldn't even be describing her 24 hours. There had been so much going on, she could have gone crazy.

Aria went back to the back stage, where the dresses hung and made sure they were all in their covers, zipped up and in their proper place. She grabbed them with ease making sure to be careful and walked back to Jason. It was sad that everyone kept tearing at the memory of her friend. They always had to ruin whatever it was about Ali and it made it seem like they had lost her all over again.

"You probably don't want to see these again," Aria stated as she plopped the dresses down behind Jason who was waiting for her by sitting on the sofa with her stuff beside him. He turned to look at her in the slightest before getting up from where he was.

Aria lowered her eyes, now focusing on anything besides him. She hated feeling like she was going to self-destruct, which was probably why she had folded her arms across her torso to keep herself together.

He seemed to stare at her for the longest time, almost waiting for her to pull herself back together, and when she did, she took a bold step forward. "Why come back?"

"I needed to put the pieces together," he answered now stepping closer to her, but not looking directly in her eyes. "I wanted to try and remember things."

"You still don't know who wrote that note," Aria claimed, reading his face. He turned to look at her then, eyes widening just the slightest. Was it fear that Aria was reading for him? Or curiosity as to why she was so obsessed with that.

"What if it had to do with what happened that night? What if Ian didn't…"

Jason cut Aria off. He didn't want to hear anymore about that. "Ian did it. He confessed and that's good enough for me. Look," he sighed, "all I know now is that I have to focus on trying to be happy, and coming back to Rosewood, I think I can be that here." _With you_, he wanted to add at the end.

Aria and Jason looked at each other for a few seconds again before he broke the stare. "Can I drop you somewhere?"

"Umm…" Aria hesitated, looking off into space wondering if it was a good idea. As she thought about it and briefly glanced up to him again, she also tried to analyze his previous words. What did that mean when he talked about finding happiness here? Did that mean it would be with her?

"Yea sure," she said looking back up to him. Nodding, the two moved in opposite directions, brushing up against each other in the slightest. As he picked up his sister's dresses, she grabbed her bags and headed out together.

* * *

The walk to the parking lot was pretty silent but after putting the things in his car and getting situated, a conversation between them started to flow.

"I'm sorry, again," Aria apologized, thinking about earlier.

"It's okay," he said, not saying much about what went down between the two earlier. "I guess I get a little defensive at times."

"I get nosy too," she incorporated, "I just have this strive to fix things you know? I'm a fixer," she smiled as he gave a chuckle.

"Plus…" Aria said looking to her lap. She thought about 'A' and how it might be his/her/them doing. She really wanted to tell him and to say whatever that note was wasn't his fault, but could she really?

"What?" Jason asked looking to her as they hit a stoplight and Aria went silent. The teen shook her head and brushed away the thoughts. Even if she thought about telling Jason about 'A' there would be so many complications and tonight just wasn't the night to deal with them.

"Tell me," Jason pushed as he stared at her.

"I just was going to say that, plus, I also want to help you. I like getting to know you and stuff," Aria said blushing into the night as she looked down at her hands. Jason gave a grin at that, trying to hold it back though for the pretty girl's sake. What she was saying wasn't a lie – she really did mean that too, but her desire to want to tell Jason everything had her a bit flustered.

The light turned green and they were off again, Jason ever so sneakily glancing at Aria as she still casted her eyes away from him in embarrassment.

"Well besides the fiasco with the Ali thing and my mother, you girls did really good with the show," Jason told Aria as they pulled up to her street. "You looked beautiful."

Aria looked up to him at the compliment, blushing again but still going to meet his eyes. "Thanks," she said proudly. Giving a nod, they stared at each other for just a little while longer before Aria had to get out with her things.

"Tell your mom I'm sorry again?" she asked Jason after shutting his car door.

"Of course," he said watching her give a small sad smile at his response.

"Goodnight Jason," Aria said finally, tearing herself away from his presence.

"Night Aria," he spoke, watching her from his car as she walked towards the house and through the front door.

* * *

Aria woke up the next morning from a good ending of the night to a horrible morning. It was both Spencer and Hanna texting Aria to go over Hanna's so they could all talk. There was much to discuss about 'A', Garrett, and what happened yesterday. With the emotions being sorted through and the fright dealt with from the night, it was time to face the music and Aria quickly got ready.

"Hey sweetie," Ella smiled as her daughter walked downstairs.

"Hey mom, I'm off to Hanna's," she said grabbing her bag and shoving things inside.

"No breakfast?" was her mom's motherly response as she was in the kitchen cooking.

"I'll grab something at Hanna's," Aria replied, giving her mother a quick smile before wanting to take off.

"Okay, have fun," Ella replied as her daughter walked towards the door. "Aria! Remember we have that dinner party tonight okay?" Mrs. Montgomery yelled from the her spot near the counter.

"'Kay mom!" was Aria's response as she practically ran out of the house. Ella knew her daughter didn't want to talk about what happened last night. It was traumatic for all of them, so being the mother she was, she let it go for now and decided she would talk to Aria later – it was so much easier to corner Aria in her room anyways…

When Aria got to Hanna's, they were already inside in the kitchen talking about last night's events. It was hard enough to go back over the Ian thing but they also had to talk about what was going to happen from here. Grabbing a cup of coffee, Aria stood and listened to her friends. Apparently Emily was going to be sleeping over Hanna's for the time being and Hanna decided it would be a mega party every night.

So Aria tuned out after that, but when Hanna said the words "and if we say something, 'A's going to smack us down," Aria's head sprung from her cup.

Those words rung in her ears as she thought about Jason and how close she was to telling him about the problems with 'A' last night. Again, Hanna was right. Telling anyone about 'A' would be dangerous and Aria couldn't believe she thought about telling Jason in particular.

The doorbell rang and knocked Aria out of another reverie. It was a gift basket, with 'bad chocolate' and a note from 'A' saying **'two liars under one roof. You are making it so easy for me – A'.** The pit in the girls' stomachs rose and Aria looked to her coffee mug, now passing the chance to take a large swig of her refill.

"How far is this going to go?" Aria asked rhetorically to the group.

"Till we're buried six foot under," Spencer replied darkly.

"Like Ali," Emily said with her sad doey eyes.

"Or until we go insane and practically jump out of our skin, who knows," Hannah also answered, trying to ease the tension and stress a bit with her answer. Each of them gave a sigh and wished life was different.

* * *

Aria had returned home for the day to help her mom out. Being the perfectionist Ella was, Aria knew all the help she could get would be well appreciated.

"I think you look great in both," Ella said as Aria held up two dresses in her arms.

"That's so mom like," Aria teased as she set the dresses on her bed.

Ella smiled at her child, watching as she went back and forth from her closet to her bed where she would analyze the dresses. "You know, this doesn't have to be fancy. Its just a dinner party – kind of like how we used to have."

"I know, but it's the first one since we've moved back," Aria responded, still critiquing the dresses with her eyes.

"I like this one, it makes you look older," Ella said coming further into the room and touching the black dress in Aria's right hand.

Aria raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what her mother was trying to get at "Yea?"

Ella nodded.

"Byron?" Ella called as Mr. Montgomery passed by Aria's room.

"Yea?" he wondered sticking his head in.

"Elliot Partha called, he said they would be coming since they found an appropriate babysitter," Ella said with a smile. As Aria's parents talked, she looked back to the black dress her mother liked. It was a pretty dress and one of Aria's favorites, but she was still wondering what her mother's alter motive was.

"I was thinking of inviting Ezra," Byron announced. Aria froze; turning her head in the slightest, listening to her mother say she was worried about the short notice.

"Well, he seems like he is still trying to fit it and lately he's seemed a bit preoccupied with other things. He buries himself in his work," her father responded. "I think it will be good for him to get out."

"Alright," Ella shrugged, "as long as he doesn't mind." The mother then turned to her daughter and smiled, "now, you know, you are going to have to start getting used to calling Mr. Fitz Ezra," she gleamed. Aria put on one of those fake smiles so it wouldn't look like she would throw up right there. Her ex would be coming to this dinner party. Fantastic.

* * *

It was Aria who was going around the house cleaning up things. She dusted, sweeped, mopped and even vacuumed. As she walked back upstairs to grab her phone from her room, she heard her dad and Mike talking.

Lately, Mike had been in this rebellion stage, not talking to her, her parents or anyone anymore. He was slipping into this dark place and all Aria could do was watch. It was Byron though who broke her thoughts with his loud voice. He was getting stern with Mike as the kid threw attitude around. They wanted him at the dinner party tonight and were demanding his presence. It was important to her family, Aria knew that, as her mother and father were stressing about it more than they let on. It was the first time getting together with people after the whole fatherly affair thing and it had to be smooth. With a snappy 'fine' from Mike, saying he would show up, Byron approved and walked off.

"Aria?" Byron asked looking to her as she was frozen in the hall listening to them.

"Just…getting my phone," Aria replied – legs becoming mobile again as she walked into her room and got the device.

"You know, I want to thank you for doing this – helping your mom and I out with tonight," he started following her and leaning against the doorframe.

Aria analyzed her father and gave a nod. "Its okay, I don't mind."

"I hope you don't mind me inviting your old English teacher to our house. I know it's going to be a little weird but there is no more conflict of interest between you guys. He's not your teacher anymore but now a colleague of mine," Byron explained.

"It's fine dad," was her little reply. The fact of the matter was though it was far from fine. There was always going to be a conflict of interest between her and Ezra. He was not only her old English teacher but also her ex boyfriend. It was wrong on all sorts of different levels but she couldn't spill that to her parents.

Byron looked to his daughter with a grateful and satisfied look. "Alright."

After he left Aria's room, Aria let out a large breath and checked her phone. 0 messages – just the way Aria liked it.

The sound of the front door opening caught Aria's ears and she walked down the hall towards the stairs to see who it was.

"Oh Aria!" Ella said with her arms full of groceries. Hurrying down to help her mom, Aria grabbed some bags from the woman's hands and set them down on the counter.

"Thank you sweetie," Ella smiled while digging through the bags.

"Sure," Aria said glancing to the clock. Only 4 hours to go till this dinner party. After setting things out and putting others away, Aria and her mom began to cook. They would be having roast chicken, a salad, bread, fruit, beans, and dessert. It all seemed really great and she knew her mom was a great cook.

"So guess who I ran into while at the grocery store?" Mrs. Montgomery announced as she began prepping her food.

"Who?" Aria responded as she cleaned the fresh beans.

"Jason DiLaurentis," she said with an uplift to her voice. "I invited him to tonight's dinner."

Aria's eyes went wide and she couldn't think of a more heart-stopping thing to hear. "…He's coming?"

"Yea, I figured since he's new coming back to Rosewood and we both know it's hard, he should join us and meet some new people. Is that okay?" Ella asked concerned as she found her daughter looking shocked.

Aria quickly shaped up; putting a cool mask on her face as she saw the worried look her mom was giving her. "Yea of course, I was just surprised."

Ella understood that. Jason wasn't really the person to go out much but she was pretty insistent when she saw him at the store. "Well with what happened yesterday I figured that it was for the best. The guy deserved to get out for a little while."

"Right," Aria said looking down to the food.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Sorry for such the long wait and thank you SOOOO much to all who reviewed! It made me so happy and don't worry, i'm getting a Beta for all the little things and hopefully some help. Thank you all again - two chapters for you all!**_

Ella Montgomery and her daughter cooked for hours on end. When most of the work was finished, she sent Aria to go get ready with a grateful thank you.

"Aria!" Byron called to his daughter as he passed her in the hallway. "Which one?" He held up two colored/patterned ties, neither of which looked very good with his dress shirt.

"Try wearing a white shirt and the black tie," Aria suggested to her father. Byron looked down at his clothes, wondering what was wrong with what he was wearing. Giving him a smile, Aria grabbed her things and went for a shower.

There was a small beep from Aria's phone on the counter and a feeling of fright ran through her as she washed her hair. Trying to ignore what the message could possibly be or whom it was from, she inhaled a breath and went back to washing the suds from her hair.

_It could be nothing_ she tried to think. Maybe it was Spencer, or Emily. Hell, it could even be Ezra trying to still reason and talk with her. There was no possible reason for 'A' trying to ruin her life today…could there?

After stepping from the shower and putting on lotion, Aria checked her phone. It was just Hanna thank heavens, hoping she would have fun tonight. Quickly replying, Aria rushed around to get ready. The black dress slipped down her body nicely and her hair fell nicely into place after drying and styling it.

"Aria!" Ella called from downstairs.

Aria hopped to her door, putting on some heels in the process. "Yea?"

"Have you seen Mike? Is he up there?" she shouted. Aria's eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't have gotten far right? He was just there when her dad talked to him.

"No!" she called back confused. Aria heard murmuring between her parents then and she wondered what was going on. Where was Mike? What was he doing? Was he okay? Sighing, Aria pushed the thoughts aside, thinking it was just her rebellious brother. Making sure she was all ready for tonight, she went downstairs and finished helping her parents.

The Parthas arrived first, greeting the family courteously. As Byron was getting Nancy some wine, Elliot was on the phone worrying about their son. It was somewhat comical of course. Them with their first child could barely seem to leave their house long enough that they could go out and enjoy a night to themselves.

"So where's Mike?" Nancy wondered, sipping on her wine.

"Oh…he'll be here," Ella said putting on a nervous smile while glancing to Byron.

"He thinks its cool to show up fashionably late," Aria joked, trying to ease the tension and help her parents out at the same time. The adult Montgomerys gave their daughter a thankful smile as Nancy looked at Aria with a large smile.

"You know, if you ever needed a babysitter, I would be happy to help," Aria pitched when Elliot finally got off the phone.

"Oh that's so sweet of you," Nancy gleamed.

"Just stop by for an interview, blood test and a background check. It should only take about an hour," Mr. Partha answered. The Montgomery family gave a chuckle to his answer but Aria wasn't quite sure if he was serious. The doorbell rang breaking the semi conversation and it was Ella who stepped up to get it.

"Ezra," Ella smiled, taking the flowers from his hands.

Glancing up, Ezra noticed Aria, who now had turned around to see who was at the door. Giving her a small smile, Aria forced one back to him and crossed her arms over each other.

"Aria," he called, stepping forth to her as Ella went to put the flowers in some water.

"Ezra," Byron called, thankfully stopping him from saying anything more to Aria.

"This is for you," Ezra said giving him some scotch. As they talked about it and made little conversation, Aria went back into the kitchen to help her mother some more.

"Anything I can do mom?" she asked.

"Oh sweetie, can you just set the rolls out?" Ella asked while going to check her chicken. Doing as she was told, Aria took the basket of bread, setting it out the table.

The doorbell rang again and Aria announced she would answer it. Walking forth, she took note of her father introducing Ezra to Nancy and greeting Elliot. Swinging the door open, Aria came face to face with Jason, who was also holding a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers in his hands.

"Hey," Jason said staring at her in amazement. She looked beautiful, with her short black dress and tall heels. Her hair was rung in long curly stretched spirals, falling perfectly to frame her face.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. He too was handsome looking. Dressed in a crisp dress shirt and jacket, she took note of his sandy blond hair and gorgeous smile. "Come in."

Stepping back, he walked through the door. "Sorry I'm late," he announced sheepishly with his hands in his pockets. Handing her the flowers she smiled to him and glanced down again at the colorful plants. "It's okay…thanks."

Glancing back to the party in the living room she saw Ezra watching the two. A blush hit her cheeks and she shifted from foot to foot, still facing Jason.

"Come on," she mumbled, walking towards the company to introduce him. "So this is Elliot Partha and his wife Nancy."

Bringing himself forth, Jason shook both their hands, pulling back then and turning to Ezra then. "And this is Ezra…Fitz," she said awkwardly. Glancing to her, Jason quickly took in her change of demeanor and then shook the guys hand.

"Aria! Your phone," Ella called from the kitchen.

"Excuse me," Aria said touching Jason's arm briefly before walking away. Going over to her phone and noticing it was Spencer, she picked it up and listened to what she had to say.

"Don't you remember that summer?" Spencer asked, clearly distressed. "It's the same stick that Toby found from when Ali wanted to use it. Aria, it was also in her bedroom the whole summer – anyone could have had access to it."

"Wait. Are you sure?" Aria asked.

"Positive," Spencer declared. Looking all around, Aria quickly made an escape upstairs. Ella was still in the kitchen checking her food, Byron was talking with Elliot, Jason was chatting with Nancy, although glancing at her from time to time, and Ezra was glancing at Aria wondering whom she was talking to.

"Where is it now?" She asked fully alert as she made it up to her room.

"My dad took it. After Toby found it my dad just said he would handle it. He literally grabbed it from Toby's hands."

"How do you think it got in your backyard?" Aria asked.

"I have an idea and I know your not going to like it," Spencer warned.

"Spence," Aria sighed. Tonight just wasn't the night to hear the Jason bashing speech. "Think about it Aria! It was on the line of our yards. Don't you think his amnesia is a little convenient?"

"No, I don't," she snapped back.

"Aria! He is 'A', I know it," Spencer protested.

"A lot of things aren't adding up Spence! What about Ian? He was involved with Ali; he had the same chance of grabbing the stick and using it."

"Why would he come back and kill her after their little make out session on film?" Spencer asked with sarcasm in her voice. "And why would he die it on our property line?" Spencer knew Jason was looking better and better for this crime. If only her best friend could see it.

"Aria!" Ella called from downstairs. Aria turned to look over her shoulder at her mother's shout and sighed. "Look, I'll call you later. I have to go."

"Be careful," Spencer stressed right before they hung up.

Letting out a breath Aria's mind flashbacked to when Spencer, her and Ali were messing with that field hockey stick. Jason appeared then as she continued to think. That was one of the times he actually scared her. It wasn't his words, rather his actions. Aria knew Ali and Jason had a weird brother sister relationship, well truthfully they barely had one, but still. Their actions towards each other at that time were rather…violent. Was it just a coincidence that the field hockey stick was broken and their best friend's death could have resulted from that? Was it just a commonality that it was broken and buried?

A knock on her open door startled her and it was Jason who was looking worried for her. "You okay?"

"Y-y-yea," she stammered, shaking the nervous and fearful feelings she was thinking.

"Who was that?" he asked nodding to her phone.

"Just Spencer, rambling on like usual," Aria lied, letting out a nervous laugh to try and hide her anxiousness. It was a bittersweet feeling being in the same room with Jason. A huge part of her was swooning hard for him. Her feelings were growing and it felt good yet the other part of her of her was thinking of all the dangers of 'A' and who the heck could have killed Ali. Would it…_could_ it have been Jason?

"It's you," Jason announced, breaking her out of her thoughts, which made her eyebrows furrow.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked looking up to him.

"Your room," he said glancing around. "It's very you."

Aria blushed at that, biting her lip at the compliment. Jason took a few steps forward, now putting himself in front of the girl. Taking a chance, he raised his arm and pushed some hair away from her face. Of course, like he knew, that caused her to look up at him. Their gaze was steady and strong. Neither cared to break the link they were sharing.

"Aria!" Ella called. "I – oh!" she said stopping in her tracks when she saw her daughter and Jason in close contact with each other.

"Yea mom?" Aria answered quickly feeling very flustered. Both her and Jason were in such close proximity to each other it made her heart flutter. She swore he was about to kiss her too.

"Just wondered if you could help me downstairs. Its okay though, I got it," she said waving her hand with a gleam in her eye.

"No," Aria protested swiftly, "I'll come." Smiling (and blushing) to Jason, she walked past him and began following her mother. Jason followed the two women as they made their way back downstairs and both Aria and Jason caught the confused hurt look Ezra was giving them when they parted ways at the bottom of the steps.

"So what did you need?" Aria wondered to her mom. Ella gave her daughter a raised eyebrow, still caught up in the moment of her daughter and the male DiLaurentis. "Is there something going on between you and Jason?"

"What? No," Aria said brushing off the thought and the blush.

"Right," Ella responded with a knowing look.

Turning away, Aria used her long hair as a shield to hide her face.

"Will you put these on the table please?" Ella said pointing to the bowls. Showing a smile, Aria followed the orders. Grabbing the green beans, she walked over and placed them on the table softly. The doorbell rang again which was odd. Going over to answer it, Aria opened the door only to become face to face with Berry the police officer.

"Hi," Aria said somewhat cowering in fear. Was this 'A' again? Was she in trouble?

"Are your parents home?" Barry asked. Nodding, she called for both her mom and dad and stepped back.

"Barry, hi," Ella said. Byron stepped forth also wondering what was going on.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said looking around at the guests who were giving him their full attention. "There's been a situation with Mike."

Fear hit the Montgomerys hard and Aria panicked thinking it had something to do with 'A'. "He's okay," Barry said quickly, reading the family's expression. "There was a break in a few hours ago in a home which we caught Mike running away from."

Both of her parents were stunned while Aria felt so guilty and upset that it pushed an invisible weight on her shoulders further. Moving so she could lean back against the wooden beam, Aria felt the disappointment and failure for not protecting her brother better hit her. She tried to keep it together, glancing down to the ground so she could put up a mask. But Jason saw right through it. He watched as the emotions ran across Aria's face, flickering with so many different expressions. Catching her eye, she gave him a helpless, desperate look. _Mike promised her to stop. Mike said he wouldn't do it again… _was the babble running through Aria's head.

Ezra glanced at the officer, the two Montgomerys, and then to Aria and Jason. Something was going on there. He could see it, especially with his ex girlfriend gazing at the DiLaurentis.

"I need you to come with me," Barry interjected to the parents through their shocked silence. Nodding, Ella seemed to put herself on auto pilot, going to find her things while Byron just stood there, still stunned. "Let's go," Ella announced.

"Hold on," Byron said getting it together. Setting down his drink, he went to gather his things and talk to the Parthas, apologizing profusely.

"Aria…Aria," Ella called to her daughter as she was still staring into space. Aria was on the verge of tears but Ella couldn't seem to register that. "Stay here."

Silently agreeing, Jason carefully peered at his love interest while also noting her parents leaving with the officer. After the door shut and things went silent, Aria stared into space. She was lost, helpless and felt oh so guilty. Jason wanted to wrap her in his arms telling her it was okay, that this wasn't her fault or anything else to make her feel better. But she couldn't see him anymore. Her body and face went blank and she was empty.

* * *

"Aria?" Ezra hesitantly asked. She had been standing there, off course in her own thoughts for a few minutes now. The house was silent, no one really talking after the ordeal that had just happened. Snapping up from her rambling thoughts, she registered Ezra's face in her house and went to clear the hazy thoughts.

"Uhh…dinner is almost ready," she stated, pushing back from the beam and going to walk in the kitchen. Jason gave the male college teacher a glare, wanting to curse him out for disturbing Aria. Could he not see she was dealing with a lot?

"Oh honey, you don't have to do that," Nancy said following her into the kitchen with her glass of wine in hand.

"No, its okay, it's practically done," Aria said bending down to look in the oven. The chicken was about ready and everything was on the table getting cold. "Please, go sit," Aria insisted, walking to the drawer to find oven mitts. Showing a kind smile, Nancy Partha nodded and went to find a seat.

Aria then bent down again, taking the main course out from the oven, setting it on the counter. With no hands to spare, she shut the oven door with her high-heeled foot. A shaky breath was what she let out when she was all alone. This was crazy; Mike was in police custody right now. Pulling it together again, she stiffed her back and put on her brave face. She carried out the meat carefully, the chicken actually being quite heavy.

"Here, I got it," Jason said coming to her aid. Setting down his drink on the table, he took the food from her petite hands. His eyes never left her face, trying to read everything he could about her. His concern for Aria was genuine – it always has and will be. What he saw from her though was a mask. There were walls being put up and hidden underneath that, showing ever so slightly, was fear and concern of a teenage girl.

"Thank you," she said softly before swiftly going to get the two table settings of where her parents would have sat. Cleaning it all up she walked back to the kitchen and put it away.

The dinner was awkward to say the least. Both Nancy and Ezra tried to make conversation with Aria, while Jason just sat there, reading her words and appearance as she talked. Admittedly, Jason was too concerned for her to make an effort with these strangers. Elliot Partha sat there in his seat in silence too. He had been etching to call the babysitter again (which he did after a few minutes of his annoying bouncing leg and jitters).

"Can we help you clean up?" Nancy asked politely even though she and her husband were tearing to get out there and see their child.

"I got it, don't worry," Ezra said, stepping up before Jason could this time. Grabbing a few dirty plates, he went to the kitchen to set them down. Forcing a smile, Aria led the couple to the door, handing them some leftovers she had put in a tupperware for them. After saying goodbyes Aria shut the door and leaned against it. Only taking a few seconds to let her guard go down, she quickly put it back up and got back to work.

_Just keep moving, don't think about it,_ she said in her head.

"I got it," Ezra said with another plate in his hand.

"No, really I can do it," Aria pushed, barely looking to him.

"You okay?" He asked. _What a stupid question_ she thought bitterly in her head. Was she okay? She was far from that. Aria wanted to cry and yell and protest on how unfair life was, but she didn't. She wasn't going to. Instead she was going to clean up this mess and pull herself together – as much as she could anyways.

"Fine," she responded, going back and forth from the dinner table to the counter where Ezra was stacking the dirty plates.

"…Is there something going on with you and Jason?" Ezra asked bluntly. Surprised and bewildered for a second she glanced up to him and gathered her bearings. "What?"

"You two seem close," he treaded with a careful tone.

"He's Ali's brother. I've known him since I was young. Of course we are close," she snapped at him. Ezra gave her a stare, just wondering if that was all. Scoffing, Aria couldn't believe he was acting like this right now, with everything she had on her plate. Grabbing the pitcher of coffee, she walked off to see if Jason needed a refill.

"More coffee?" she asked holding the container up.

"Sure, just a bit," he said watching as she stepped closer.

"He told me he would stop," she admitted softly, letting the mask she had put up crack a bit.

"Give me that," he stated, taking the pitcher from her hands and setting it behind him. "Sit down."

Doing just that, Aria put her hands in her lap and sat in front of Jason. "I believed him…" she said almost heartbrokenly.

"And he probably meant it," Jason quipped. "At the time, I'm sure that's what he promised himself to do too."

"This is all my fault," Aria admitted, feeling the blame.

"How?" Jason asked completely confused.

"If I hadn't seen my dad that one day with Ali…If Mike would have gotten more attention from my parents this summer instead of me… And this whole Ian thing…"

"Aria, what are you talking about?"

Aria felt tears come to her eyes but then realized what she had just said. Snapping her head back up, she looked to Jason wide-eyed.

"Look," Jason said trying to ease her worry a bit, "maybe some of Mike's friends put him up to this."

Aria shook her head and gave a dry dark chuckle.

"Do you know how many places he's broken into then?" Jason then pushed carefully. Aria stared back into space then and bit her lip. Remembering when she pulled Mike aside at school to talk to him, she reeled over his confessions. Not only breaking into her friends' houses and garage but shoving her towards the wall making her crash into, and break, some of the Hasting's things.

"Aria, this is not your doing. What your brother has done…its not because of you."

"How do you know?" she wallowed in the slightest.

"I know a lot about misplaced guilt and trouble teens. I used to be one," Jason said staring straight at Aria. "This is not because of you."

"I just want him to be okay," Aria admitted after a few seconds of silence with tears in her eyes ready to be spilled.

"He will," Jason said confidently while cupping his hand against the side of her face. Finding comfort in his touch should have been wrong. For all Aria knew, Jason could be in cahoots with 'A' or have killed his own sister, but as the two of them sat there, she didn't care.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Enjoy! Also, let me know if you all have any ideas on what should go on next...**_

After her moment with Jason, she decided to go investigate to see how many houses her brother really did steal from. Barging into Mike's room, she checked all around to see where he hid people's missing things. From under his bed, in his desk drawers and finally to the closet, she found exactly what she was looking for. Camping things, stuff from Spencer's, and even Jenna's piece of pottery she made in art class. Wait…what?

Looking for the signature on the bottom, it was definitely Jenna's. Holding the piece in her hands she wondered where he got this from and who's house it was. How the heck did Mike get this?

A ringing was blaring in Aria's room and she quickly went to go answer it.

"Hello?" she asked still holding Jenna's work in her hand.

"Aria? Where are you? We've been texting you for over a hour now," Hannah exasperated. Mentally hitting herself, she remembered how after answering Spencer's call earlier and having that moment with Jason, she must have set her phone down back in her room.

"Sorry…I've been dealing with some things here," Aria said not really wanting to elaborate.

"Well did you hear about the field hockey stick? And our parents meddling in our business?"

"Wait what?" Aria interrupted through Hanna's babble.

"Our parents have been talking with each other Aria. They know something is going on with us – they think we are being bullied."

"Well we are," Aria mumbled. With that, Hanna freaked out. "Aria! That's not the point! If they catch on anything about 'A' then we are toast. Our lives don't need to be any more of a living hell than what they are now!"

"Look, I really can't deal with this right now," Aria said ready to pull her hair out. "You need to get over here. Spencer's already here so make it quick."

"No Hanna, you don't understand, I can't tonight."

"Can't you just skip the whole dinner party thing? Haven't you been there long enough to entertain people?" Aria cringed at that. Both Jason and Ezra were still here, in the same room, alone together.

"Shit! I have to call you back," Aria rushed out. It was like she had become a chicken with her head cut off as she ran around the upstairs multitasking with her phone and the piece of pottery in her hand.

"Wait! Did you just swear?" Her friend exclaimed. Getting frustrated with the blonde Aria ended the call and rushed downstairs to get rid of her guests.

"You know what, I was thinking you guys should go," Aria rushed out.

"Both of us?" Ezra said a bit shocked.

"Yes," Aria said, looking to her ex a bit confused. Like she would want him to stay?

"Are you sure?" Jason wondered as he stood watching her.

"Yea, you guys really shouldn't have to be here when my brother gets home," Aria stated and then continued to ramble, "he should be with family and I'm sure my mom and dad will have a lot to say to him anyways. It should just be us."

Jason, figuring she was feeling a bit better about the situation, shrugged and set his cup down. It was alright with him.

"I don't mind staying Aria," Ezra insisted. This had Jason a bit confused now. This guy really seemed to want to stick around and talk with the girl. Was something going on with him and his old student?

"No, really," Aria pushed again, opening the front door for them to leave. A cell phone rang, both men looking to Aria who had checked the caller ID screen to her cell and finally hit the ignore button after much confliction.

"Call me later and tell me how he is?" Jason wondered, now noticing how Aria seemed more and more a bit off. What was she hiding?

"Of course," she responded, forcing a smile to her face and trying to act like nothing was wrong. Again, he paused at the front door, staring at her.

"I can help you clean up," Ezra suggested with an interruption.

Both heads turned to him. "No, I'm alright," Aria answered curtly.

"If you need anything," Jason trailed off in a murmur.

"I know," Aria said back softly with a genuine smile.

Before walking out the door Jason turning back to make sure that guy Ezra was following him.

"Talk later?" He suggested to his former student.

"Yea, maybe," Aria said, not looking to him. Ezra sighed, stepping out the door and just as he turned back to say something else, Aria had slammed the door shut. _Ha, take that _Jason thought to Ezra.

* * *

After a long night with her family and a snappy Mike, she finally had the chance to confront her brother about Jenna's pottery. Was she surprised when she found out Mike had stolen it from Garret's place? Beyond that. Trust for the policeman was now doubted and she worried about what she had already shared with him. Her best friends, including herself, had trusted Garret with some of the secrets of 'A' along with the whole Ian thing. Was that a set up too? Did he kill Ian? And how does Jenna now fit into all of this? Did she know everything that they had told Garret? Was she 'A' too? Were they being set up for something?

Feeling sick, Aria retreated back to her room after she was done with Mike and got ready for bed. Her parents were heartbroken and in shambles after the situation with her brother. Aria actually felt bad for the older pair because their social image was now even worse than before.

_So much for a bounce back_ Aria thought to herself as she slipped into bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she remembered how she promised to fill Jason in. He was truly concerned for her and her brother. Rolling onto her side, she grabbed her phone, and started a new text message to him.

_**He's home safe. Can't really say much more than that for now**_ she texted to him. With that, she closed her phone, setting it to silent and going back to bed hoping for a better day.

* * *

A long week passed and that whole time Aria was worried for Mike. After getting worse in attitude, not only at home but at school, Ella and Byron decided that Mike needed a week off of school. They claimed that a week off from all the stress would be better for him (but Aria knew it was also for his future reputation in Rosewood. Mike was really starting to scare his parents).

But now, instead of being that rebellious yelling at his parent's teenager he seemed to become lately, he now stayed in bed, never really getting up. Aria put herself in charge of picking up Mike's work and telling everyone at school he was just going through a phase. In reality though, Aria had no idea what he was going through and she had picked up on how he had been the topic of conversation. It had worried her that her brother had become an empty shell and she blamed herself a lot.

Her parents were fighting again, disagreeing on how to handle Mike. It seemed like they were back on two different wavelengths and it made Aria sick. She was the cause of this. Even though Jason said it had nothing to do with it, she was sure he was wrong. Her hurt and self blame trumped Jason's reasoning and deep down inside she had to acknowledge it was all her fault. Her father had an affair with his grad student and after her mother learned that it was all on Aria. The Montgomery household split into two, leaving the parents on a rocky relationship with only their kids as a commonality.

The break in their relationship was hard for not only Aria but Mike too. He wanted his family back, all in one piece. His quiet rebellion was noticed but was set on the back burner for a while as their parents went to figure things out on their own. Even after Byron and Ella got back together though, things weren't always the same. Mike and Aria saw it but didn't have the chance to acknowledge it because of the while Ian thing. While attention went back to Aria and no one could see Mike suffering from the previous pain.

So yes, Aria felt like it was her fault. Jason didn't know everything about what her and Mike was carrying so it felt harder to open up. Things like 'A' would have to be explained and Ali would be brought up again. Both of those things put Aria in a dizzy.

_**Heading to Spencer's – you coming?**_ Hanna texted her. Aria looked at her phone and sighed. As much as she probably needed to, she couldn't. Her family was turning into shambles and her parents had been switching shifts on babysitting the blank faced Mike. She needed to stay home and be with her brother.

_**Can't today. Sorry, fill me in later**_ Aria texted before sticking her phone in her back pocket. Even being close knit with her best friends, dealing with 'A' at the same time, Aria just didn't have time for them right now. She went on a stake out with all of them late one night, finding Garret and Jenna in a relationship but that was the last of it. She really had enough. Aria was tired of learning all of these new things and not being able to trust anyone.

Things had to get worse though. During that long miserable week, Emily had landed herself in the hospital, learning she had an ulcer and 'A' put steroids in her sports cream. It was another thing Aria had to worry about. 'A' seemed to be relentless and going so far as steroids, she was worried of what was coming to her soon.

So to say at the least Aria was emotional unstable were words that couldn't cover it. She was uplifted and relieved that it was Saturday though. Aria hoped that she could get some things off her mind and maybe stay in her room under the covers silently crying. It had been a horrible week and she needed to let it all out. Walking downstairs for whatever reason, she found Jason in her kitchen?

It stopped her in her tracks, she wasn't just surprised but worried of what he was going to see in her eyes. When she was home she didn't have to put on that calm mask because there was no one to read or look into it. Her parents were too busy and concerned with Mike, and its not like Mike would be up and around asking her if she was okay. So she wore her emotions on her sleeve for everyone to see.

Jason being here in her kitchen rose some questions to her mind and he answered one before she could even speak. "Your dad let me in. He said you'd probably be down soon."

Aria nodded still slightly surprised. Glancing down, her demeanor changed and that solid mask of calm and worry free was set on her face. Jason noticed it. It wasn't hard to see. It was almost like Aria detached herself from whatever she was thinking for the time being and put on a brave face. To the world, it may have worked. Her body language and face made her look perfectly okay, but it was her eyes that showed the pain and worry.

"Here, I wanted to give you this," Jason said holding out a business card. Aria stepped forward, taking the paper from his hand and read it. "Nico Stammos, Kramer Hill Youth Center?"

"It's for Mike. I thought this guy might be able to help," Jason supplied, watching Aria's face. "Oh…thanks."

"How is he?" Jason prodded.

"He's…okay," Aria supplied, trying to keep her façade up yet at the same time be truthful with Jason.

"You look worried," he stated, knowing there was more to let on than what she was giving. Aria bit her lip and looked away. "Worried was last week," she confessed.

"He's going to be okay," Jason said stepping forth to put a hand to her shoulder. Feeling like this was all too crazy, Aria took a chance and looked up at him. They had this moment then. His eyes were all honesty and loving. They sparkled and shone with confidence at her. Feeling her mask of strength and ease crumble a bit, tears began watering her eyes. She didn't have time to fix herself though because what broke Aria and Jason apart was Byron yelling. "Mike! Mike! Open this door! Open it right now!"

Panicking from the scene that was starting to unravel, Aria glanced at the upstairs and then made a rush to get Jason towards the exit door. "You know what, I forgot about studying. I mean I have to go study…at Emily's…I mean at Hanna's. Uhh…thank you for stopping by Jason. I'll make sure my parents get the card."

Aria rushed around the kitchen grabbing her books, stacking them up all together on the table and putting them in her arms as she practically shoved Jason out the door. To be confused was the least of his worries. He was more surprised on how flustered Aria was. She was obviously cracking under the pressure – he saw the tears come to her eyes as he stood in front of her – and he knew she was worried for her brother. Jason could read her perfectly and he saw how obviously embarrassed she was now, about her father and Mike. There was something more too as she rushed him out the door. Something inside of her was breaking and he wished she would open up and talk to him.

"Thanks again," she said opening the door. Before he could even say goodbye she had shut the door and went back towards the table setting her books down. He watched from the glass in the door how she was destructing. With her hands flat on the table she bowed her head and hunched forward, standing there. It was only a few moments that she stayed like that, with her long hair acting a shield so he couldn't see her face. But when she raised her head, throwing it back and wiping her face, he saw the tears and pain. The front went up again, just like that in a flash. She pulled herself together, and walked away, not even seeing Jason still standing there looking worried for her.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!** _

"Ella! I'm not going to sit here and watch Mike turn into my brother!" Byron yelled to his wife.

"Mike is not your brother!" she shouted back fully exasperated.

"I see the signs Ella," he said loud enough for Aria to hear it from her room. After a long afternoon of sitting with her brother just babbling on, she went back to her room, curled herself on the bed and listened to her parents fight. Dinner had been forgotten about and everything seemed so unsafe.

"What do you want me to do Byron?" Ella shouted.

"He needs help! He needs to get out of bed! Make him go to school!"

"You don't think I see he needs help too? Byron he's not all there! If we make him go to school he's not going to do anything! He just sits there!"

The fighting continued and tears streamed down Aria's face. She tucked her legs closer to her body, setting her chin further on top her knees. She didn't know what to do. Switching from the real world to her own, Aria sat there blankly. She needed to get out of this house and figure out what to do – she wanted to, but she was afraid.

"Byron!" Ella called. Aria heard the door slam hard against the downstairs doorframe and she knew her father had stormed off. Wiping her tears when she heard her mother begin to walk up the stairs, she got up from her bed and went to stand in her doorway.

"Your brother in his room?" Ella asked.

"He's on the computer," she answered. It was the most progress he had made since Aria had talked to him last (this afternoon). Surprised, Ella and Aria walked to go see him.

"Mike," Aria called getting no response from her presence.

"Mike," Ella called out a bit fiercer. "Get off the computer."

Ignoring the both of them, Mike continued to chat whoever was online.

"Mike, you've have enough," Ella said walking over to her son and shutting his screen.

"No!" he protested as Ella tried to take it away.

"Let go!" Ella said back.

"No!" he replied again. As Aria helplessly observed the two play tug of war, she watched as her mother went stumbling back with the computer in her hands and ran into a piece of wood furniture of Mike's, hurting her side and wrist at the same time.

"Mom!" Aria called. Ella looked like she wanted to cry. Startled, Mike ran into his bathroom and locked the door. All was silent and Ella drew in some shaky breaths. "Don't tell your father about this," she said. "Please Aria, just don't."

Ella then took the laptop, passing her daughter and went into her own bedroom. Stunned was not the word Aria looked like. Things went from bad to worse in a matter of seconds and she worried. Aria needed to fix this, she was a fixer.

Grabbing her bag from her bedroom, Aria took off from her house and went to Lucky Leon's hoping it would cheer her up.

* * *

"Taking a study break?" Jason's voice asked as he pulled up in his car beside her as she walked back towards her house in the dark.

"More like a sugar break," she forcefully smiled holding up her bag of cookies and cupcakes. Watching as Jason put his car in park in the middle of the street, he got out and walked over to Aria.

"Sounds like a better night than I've been having. Someone broke into my shed today."

"Well, it couldn't have been Mike. He hasn't really moved from his bed or his room since the beginning of the week," Aria answered, furrowing her eyebrows. Who would have done that to Jason?

"Hey, I didn't go there," he said glancing at her fallen face. Aria nodded. "But you know, I was going to call. I wanted to make sure you were holding up okay." Jason thought back to this morning when he saw her hovering over the kitchen table trying not to fall to pieces.

She nodded; trying to get rid of the emotions in her voice she broke their gaze, "just have a lot going on." Jason studied her for a second before finally going out on a limb. "Truth is…I do really care about your brother. But I also care about you," he said gesturing with his hands. Aria was frozen in place, with her heart hammering while watching him.

"I wanted to tell you but with everything going on…" he trailed off while stepping closer to her. "I wasn't sure if you would feel the same way."

Right…left…right. Each step she faintly heard as they kept eye contact with each other. It wasn't until Jason's lips touched her that all of her worries disappeared. She felt safe and warm. She enjoyed his touch against hers.

"I do," Aria whispered when they pulled away a bit, "feel the same." Jason stared at her then, a bright smile appearing on his gorgeous face.

"At least I think I do. My emotions have been kind of crazy lately," Aria admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed for saying what she just said.

"You know you can talk to me about that right? You can talk to me about anything Aria," he said softly. Breaking their gaze again, Aria went over what happened today in her head. The yelling of her parents, her crying in her room and her mom getting hurt.

"Yea, thanks," Aria said brokenly. Jason's eyes furrowed when he saw that mask go up again. He didn't like that. Brushing a hand across her cheek, he made sure to have her look up at him so he could silently tell her it was okay. He didn't mind if Aria broke down to him. Usually it felt weird to him to comfort a girl like that, but with Aria, its what he wanted. He felt like she shouldn't have to be so strong and brave all by herself all the time. He wanted to help her…because he loved her.

Their moment came to an end soon and Aria knew she had to get home. "Can I drive you?" he asked still holding onto her.

"Yea," Aria smiled, "that would be nice."

Being the gentleman Jason was, he walked over to Aria's sidecar door, opening for her as she slipped inside. Their hands stayed entwined with each other the whole drive home. Instead of words being spoken to fill the silence, the radio played softly into the night. Aria enjoyed this. She liked the peace and safety that came with Jason. He was like her rock.

When they pulled up to her house, the two of them sat there for a while. "I don't want to go in," she admitted absentmindedly.

"You don't have to," he said, "we can go somewhere else."

"I need to check on my mom," she said in a haze.

"Is she okay?" Jason said now concerned. Aria's eyes flickered with a emotion he didn't seem to quite catch in time before it was gone. "Yea, I should go."

Stepping out from the car with her bakery bag, she turned and shut his car door. "Thanks again."

Jason nodded. "Hey Aria," he called. Raising an eyebrow, she gave him her full attention. "Call me if you need anything okay? We can just talk if you ever need to."

Smiling a bit, Aria blushed and nodded. Waving to him she walked inside of her house and found Byron in the kitchen looking confused.

"Where is your mother?" he asked when she put her bag of goodies down.

"Right here," Ella said coming down the steps with wet hair and in her night robe.

"What happened?" Byron asked looking to her wrist with a bag of ice.

Ella briefly looked to her daughter before coming up with an excuse, "nothing, just slipped getting out of the tub."

Hearing the lie hurt Aria more than she imagined. Something wrenched in her heart and she bit her lip hard so she wouldn't accidentally call out the fib.

"Oh okay, maybe we should get you a brace for that tomorrow," Byron suggested.

"Maybe, it will probably be fine," Ella shrugged.

"Well let's see how it feels tomorrow," her father answered, clearly calmer than when he stormed out.

"I'll see you guys in the morning," Aria said, leaving her forgotten bag of goodies on the table as she walked upstairs.

"Night sweetie," her mother called.

"Night kiddo," her dad said after her.

When Aria got to her room, she shut the bedroom door and did her nightly routine. It was almost automatic as she could put herself from autopilot while accomplishing everything before sliding into bed. She laid there for a while, staring at her ceiling. Although she could not hear her mother and father talking, she knew their discussion for tonight would be about Mike again. Snatching her phone from her bedside table, she opened her phone and saw she had a few missed calls and a bunch of text messages from her friends.

Ignoring them all, she scrolled her contacts for Jason and debated on texting or calling him. With a long internal debate, she decided against it and shut her phone.

* * *

The next morning was quiet. The Montgomery household carried no shouting, yelling or door slamming. Instead, there was a half made breakfast and more concern for Mike.

"Aria," Ella chirped to her daughter as she walked down the steps fully dressed for the day.

"Aria," Byron said a bit more serious, "we were thinking of taking Mike to a psychologist."

"Okay," Aria said, somewhat wondering why they were telling her this.

"Sweetie, this one we want to take him to is in New Jersey. Now I know it would hard for you to miss school but…"

"Mom, I can just stay here," Aria supplied, packing her bag to get out of the house.

"Are you sure Aria?" Byron asked.

"Positive," Aria reassured. "I'll be fine. If I need anything Hanna's mom is around and so is Spencer's. Don't worry about me it will be fine."

"It's only for a few days," her father added.

"All the more reason I will be fine."

Case closed; that topic of the conversation over.

"Mom, how about I go get you a brace?" Aria asked looking to her mother's swollen and iced wrist.

"Oh no, its okay," she said putting on a brave face.

"I think that's a good idea Ella," Bryon said to his wife. "Are you sure you don't mind Aria?"

"Nope, not at all," Aria said. Grabbing her purse, she told her parents she would be back later and headed for the town's drug store.

It took about 10 minutes to get there and another 15 minutes of looking at the boxes to decide what she was getting. One said the perfect fit while the other brace said for carpel tunnel. There were a few for people with tiny wrists while others that gave 'full coverage'.

"Hurt yourself Aria?" someone asked. Looking up from the box she was holding, she found Jason with a concerned look.

"Uh no…its not for me."

He gave her a look to continue. "My mom…she uhh…she needs it," Aria elaborated, hoping that he wouldn't ask why.

"She hurt herself?" he asked surprised.

Aria tried to respond the best she could but she wasn't sure what she could say without lying, "something like that."

Glancing back down to the box and back to him she gave a raised eyebrow, "so what brings you here?"

"Needed some more band aids," he said reaching behind her for one of the boxes towards her left. "Woodwork gives you a ton of splinters."

Aria smiled at that, even going so far as to chuckle a bit. "So the house is coming along good then?"

"Surprisingly," he said. "You know, you should come over one day and check it out."

"Really?"

"Yea," he smiled to her. Before she could open her mouth again, Aria was being called.

"Hanna?" Aria asked back as her blond friend approached the two.

"What are you doing here?" Hannah wondered. Glancing to Jason, she gave a semi smile looking very forced.

"I'll let you go," Jason said taking his cue. "Call you soon?"

"Sounds great," Aria said with a genuine loving smile. As he passed Hanna with a smile of his own, the girls looked back to each other.

"What are you doing with Jason? Have you read any of our texts or picked up our calls?" Hanna asked quietly yelling at her.

"No I haven't. There are things I've had to deal with at home!"

Aria must have held up the wrist brace box because Hanna immediately looked worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine, its not for me anyways," Aria said shaking her head, "its for my mom."

"Is she okay? What happened?"

Aria's eyebrows furrowed and she looked away, "it's a long story."

"Okay," Hanna said watching her friend.

"So what are you doing here? What did you mean about your messages?"

Hanna waved off the first part and then bit her lip at the second. She stepped closer to Aria and looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Spencer and Emily broke into Jason's shed."

"What?" Aria said loudly.

"Shh!" Hanna said glancing all around. Luckily no one was looking. "Aria, Jason turned the place into a dark room."

"So?" She interjected.

"So they found pictures," Hanna snapped. "There were pictures of you sleeping, along with a bunch of expensive cameras and spy equipment."

"Where are they?" Aria asked, a shiver running down her spine at the creepiness.

"Gone" Hanna said. Aria went to protest but Hanna beat her to it. "Spencer knew you wouldn't believe her so she went back for proof but they were all gone by the time she opened the shed again."

Aria's mind swirled and she cursed everything going on her life. Walking to pay for whatever wrist brace Aria had in her hand, she pulled out some cash and set down the box.

"Now, what's going on with you and Jason?" Hanna asked when they left the store.

"I'm not sure," Aria admitted. It was the truth to say the least. She didn't really know where her or Jason stood. At first he was just Ali's older brother, then he became her friend, but now what was he? Friends don't usually caress the sides of people's cheeks or hair like Jason does with he. And they sure as heck don't usually kiss like they did in front of the park. So what were they?

"I think you need to stay away from him Ari," Hanna warned.

"There has to be an explanation for this," she replied to her best friend.

"Yea, that he's working with 'A'" Hanna mumbled. Shooting the blond a glare, the woman backed off and let Aria do her own thing.

"I need to get back and get this to my mom. Can we just all talk later tomorrow at school?"

Hanna studied her friend, obviously worried. Aria had a lot on her plate, more than usual. "Sure, just be careful in the mean time okay?"

"You sound like Spence," Aria remarked as she got in her car.

"I definitely need to get out more then," Hanna joked as she watched her friend drive away.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Here is where things start to really change and somewhat drift from the show. Hopefully you guys like it. Please give me some feedback. Thanks!_**

When Aria got home her mother was still in the kitchen and her dad out of sight. Passing the box across the table to her Aria went to make a swift exit upstairs.

"Honey?" Ella called to her daughter. Silently groaning, Aria spun around facing her mother. "I'm sorry I had you keep a secret from your father."

Aria stayed silent unsure of what to say.

"Sweetie, I just-"

"Mom?" Aria asked, "Can we just drop this? I really don't feel like going over what you said and what really happened." Ella's body sighed and she nodded. Taking that ask her escape, Aria turned and went back upstairs.

Hiding in her room, Aria laid back on her bed and thought about 'A' again. Were Hanna, Emily and Spencer really right about Jason? What about Jenna and Garret? Everything felt like it was weighing her down – everything except that kiss. What she was slowly feeling for Jason was something good, she knew it. But how could she prove it to her friends?

* * *

"Aria? Honey," her father said shaking her awake. It was now around 6pm, dark, and raining like crazy. "We are going to try and get on the road now. We want to try and beat the rain that is supposed to follow us."

"Okay, yea sure," Aria said still trying to wake up. Getting up from her bed, she moved some hair from her face and stood up.

"You don't have to get up Aria. We just thought you might like to know we would be leaving," her father said watching her.

"No, its okay. I'm up now anyways. How's Mike?"

Byron's demeanor changed a bit, going stiff for a few seconds before answering "the same."

Sighing, Aria and her father walked downstairs, meeting Ella and Mike in the kitchen with their bags packed. Hugs and kisses went around, along with a small talk to Mike from Aria to be careful and talk lots. They left quickly after that, getting on the road with the bad weather.

_*Buzz buzz*_ went Aria's phone from her purse. Walking over to it, she pulled it out and saw a text from unknown. Letting the pit in her stomach drop, she opened it. **Home alone so quick? Now the games can really begin –A**

Arai felt panicked and sick at the same time. She was scared like a two year old and she dashed around the house making sure all of the doors and windows were locked. How did 'A' know that so fast? Was she being watched right now? Would 'A' be making a move tonight?

**Where are you guys?** Aria texted her friends. Hoping for some company, she paced around her kitchen area waiting for a response.

Hanna texted the first and the fastest. **Out with Caleb tonight. Need something?**

**With my dad at dinner. Want to join?** Emily said.

Spencer's message, being the longest and most concerned said** Visiting sis in Phili. Be back for school tomorrow tho. Why? You Okay?** Frustrated with the answers, she hit reply, saying how she was just curious and not to worry. She would see them tomorrow morning in the courtyard.

After shutting her phone, Aria stood there trying to calm her nerves. No one was in the house except for her; all of the windows were locked and she was safe. It worked for a few seconds. The quick pep talk even got her to walk to the couch and snuggle up with a blanket. The TV was turned on and Aria felt a bit more confidence in herself. She could do this – she was strong. But when she heard a big bang coming from the upstairs, she halted and listened again.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, her ears straining to hear a noise. Cowering under the blanket a bit, she waited for something else to scare her. Click. The power had just gone out and now Aria was ready to die of a heart attack. Fear had gripped her body, forcing her to stay planted on the couch.

Bang. Eyes widening, Aria took that as her cue to leave. Someone was in her house and someone had cut the power. 'A' was coming for her now – she needed to run. Jumping from the couch, Aria ran to get her shoes, coat purse, and flung open the door.

Jason would have almost been knocked down if it wasn't for both of their quick reflexes. He had caught her shoulders just in time as Aria skidded to a stop when she noticed him on her front porch.

"Aria? You okay?" Jason asked loudly as the wind and rain was blowing like crazy.

"What are you doing here?" She asked back, staring at him with clear fright.

"I was coming to see you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked her, stepping back to see if she had been injured. The look on her face was something he wasn't used to seeing. She always put on a brave face, many times with him, but now it was just a look of terror – pure fright. "The power has gone out around the block. I was wondering if it happened to you to," he explained calmly.

"Yea it's out here too," she responded, shivering at the rainy cold.

"Come on," He said guiding her carefully back into her own house.

Jumping back, Aria immediately protested. "No!" Surprised for a quick second, Jason looked to her for a reason. Fear covered her face again and Jason was now extremely worried. "Why not? What is it?"

Gripping his forearms, she turned back slightly to look at the home and recoiled back in fear. "I think someone is in the house." Her voice became a lot softer and she stepped closer to Jason looking for protection. Wrapping his arms around his girl, Jason held Aria tight and peered into the place from the position on the porch.

"Come on, I'll check it out."

"No!" she said again, still very fearful. "Please don't Jason, I don't want to be in this house right now, please," she said evidently shaken up by whatever went on. With the puppy/doe eyes look he was giving her, Jason couldn't help but give in. Telling Aria to lock the front door and come with him, she did just that and they ran through the rain back to his car again.

* * *

He took her to his house surprisingly. Aria didn't really think about where they would end up going, but she was glad it was his place. Unbuckling herself from the car, she met Jason and slipped her hand in his as he waited for her. He unlocked the front door with his keys, bringing Aria into his work in progress, hoping she would like it.

The house had changed dramatically from before. It was partly hard to see since the lights were out and they were in the 7pm stormy darkness, but from what she could tell, it was beautiful. The place may have carried the same look on the outside from years ago, but the inside had been redone completely. The house Ali used to brag about being so open, clean and minimal had now become a true home. Although there really wasn't much furniture, things around or color to the wall, the woodwork and craftsmanship Jason had done to change the place was unbelievable.

Everything seemed so much closer together and well knit. The spaciousness of it all was still there but it also carried a vibe of peace and safety. It was exactly what Aria loved about the place. It may not have been perfect, but it sure seemed close.

Twirling all around, with Jason's hand still in hers she opened her mouth to speak. "You really changed this place," she stated in amazement. "Do you like it?" he asked hesitantly back to her.

"I love it," she said gazing back down from the ceilings to him. "You did an amazing job."

"Thank you," he said, observing her like usual. After the few seconds of silence, filled with meaningful stares and loving touches, Jason broke the quiet and dragged her further into his house.

The kitchen was almost all redone, with a few hints of what had used to be. She recognized the similar layout to when Ali was still around, along with where he placed his things, like the silverware or candles in the drawers and cabinets.

Pulling out some matches, Aria watched as Jason swiped the stick against the book and a spark of fire raised to life. The light of the fire reflected on his face, making him look even more gorgeous than he already was. The way the warmth spread from the tiny little flame or the way that Jason handled the tiny wooden stick itself seemed so gentle. Lighting the wicks of numerous candles he had lit to burn, he blew out the match and turned back to Aria.

"Thank you for taking me here," Aria said softly as she looked at the dancing flame of the candle. A tiny drip of wax had started to melt from the long dipped candle and she enjoyed watching it roll down.

"Not that I mind," Jason said in his smooth voice, "but will you tell me what happened before you swung the door open? And maybe where your parents or Mike are?"

Aria gave a flat lined smile to his words. Her family…Mike…she was supposed to be fine home alone. I mean for heavens sakes it was only maybe three or four days they would be gone at the most and she couldn't even handle one. She was eighteen; she should have been able to handle it. But instead her paranoia about 'A' was starting to show and soon she would be labeled as crazy.

Jason waited patiently for Aria to answer, but he could see how farther and farther she was getting into some internal discussion with herself. So to snap her out of it, he called her name. "Aria?"

Finding it to have worked, her eyes came back to life and she glanced up at him. "My parents took Mike to New Jersey to see this psychologist. They aren't going to be home for the next few days."

"So they left you all alone?" he asked surprised. Aria shrugged, focusing back on the candle. "I would have had to miss school to go with them and make up a bunch of things when I got back. It wasn't really worth it to go. And, they need to focus on Mike, not the both of us."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason wondered, slightly hurt Aria wasn't really opening up or talking to him at all.

"I just found out today. It slipped my mind to let you know when I saw you and the drug store, and when I came home, I fell back asleep and was woke up when they were ready to leave."

Jason studied her answer for a little while; making sure every bit of it was believable. "Are you hungry?"

Surprised by the question, Aria looked up at him and gave a small smile. "That's the next question you want to ask?"

"Oh, I have more, I just figured you would probably give me some more details if I fed you," he said lightly, leaning forward between the candles as he teased her.

"Can we get a pizza?" she asked.

"Sure," he smiled, quickly kissing her forehead then walking off to get the menu and phone. Taken back for a second, Aria warmed towards the quick gesture, liking that he did that.

"What do you want on the pizza?" he wondered holding the menu.

Happily content with the situation she was in, she wiggled on the bar stool she had been sitting on and thought about her answer. "I'll take anything…except green peppers, anchovies and mushrooms."

"Ham and olives sound good to you?" Jason asked her, looking up at the menu to see her smiling. He liked that look a lot better on her.

"Perfect."

Making the quick call, expecting the delivery in about 20-30 minutes because of the storm, Jason led Aria towards the living room couch, easily getting settled on it.

The two of them were wrapped up in each other – Jason laying back against the couch with Aria laying her back against his chest in between his jean claded legs. They seemed comfy and in content as he ran his fingers up and down her right arm as their hands were entwined with the left. A warm blanket was also set on top of Aria to keep her cozy but it was more of the fact that she was lying with Jason that made it feel like that.

"What are we?" she wondered in the silence. Stretching her neck to look up at him, Aria found Jason already looking down to her. "What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Are we friends? Or more than that, because we never really went over it. It kind of just…happened."

"I like that, don't you? That it just happened…" He was referring to their sudden kiss near the park that one night; they had become something more than just Jason and Aria after that.

"Yea, of course I do, I just…"

"Aria," Jason said cutting off to wherever she was leading to. "We can be whatever you want us to be."

Those words put Aria into a silence and Jason was hoping they would become a couple. After kissing Aria like he did and with her being so responsive back, he knew if he was going to be put back in the friends zone he was going to have a hell of a hard time.

Even now, the little moments, like holding what he considered to be 'his girl' was heaven itself. He couldn't ask for a better time with a more beautiful woman. She was perfect and he wanted her to be his.

"I want there to be an 'us'," she said quietly as she played with his hand. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Why would that be bad?" he wondered, sounding almost offended by her words.

"Oh its not. I mean, I wasn't trying to sound like a total bitch, I just-…is it right? Since you're Ali's brother and I was her friend. Is it weird?"

Aria also thought about how her friends didn't really like Jason. They had so much to be suspicious around him for – she didn't blame her friends about that. But Aria felt safe with him. He was about the only person who could make her feel that way without knowing about 'A'.

"I think that if this is something we both want, Ali shouldn't be the one who holds us back," his voice stated breaking her thoughts. "She's gone and I think that happiness for you and me – or for you at least, was what she would have wanted."

Aria chuckled a bit at that last part and snuggled closer towards him. "I think she would have wanted you to have been happy too," she murmured. Even with that odd sibling ship the two had, Ali did love her brother – she would just never admit that.

So they were a couple then. This talk they were having made it seem official. Part of her really like that, it was warming to the part where Jason was hers, to forever keep her safe. But another part was scared. Going back over her thoughts about her friends, she wondered what they would say if they saw her now. Would they really understand? What would they do if and when they found out?

"So we're good?" Jason asked her, as she stayed silent, thinking against his chest.

"Do we get to tell people about us?" she wondered. Thinking back to Ezra, she didn't want to do that again, especially if she was with Jason now. It was wrong to hide a relationship and she wanted more.

"Why wouldn't not?" he asked, being extremely confused. Eyes widening, Aria realized she didn't know about the whole Ezra thing.

"Oh I um…"

Jason studied the girl in his arms for a few seconds, wondering why she was suddenly very nervous. "Aria?"

"I dated Mr. Fitz," she blurted out. Eyebrows shooting up, he raised himself on his elbow a bit and stared in her eyes.

"Your old English teacher?"

Sitting up some more, she set her hands in her lap and fiddled with them. "I didn't know him like that when we first met." Aria began blushing hard. Taking a deep breath, she began explaining the whole story to Jason – how her and Ezra actually met in a pub when she got home from Iceland, how he thought she was a college student, and then finding out how he was actually her teacher. She tried to explain how she tried to let him go. She even put in a transfer from his class but it was denied and they were stuck with each other. The torment from the passion they felt was something that drew them together in the end, but it was the sneaking around and hiding what they had that broke them up.

Biting her lip after Aria was done, she waited for Jason to say something. He seemed to be frozen, now sitting up with her in his lap thinking this all over.

"Well, besides sneaking around to date your English teacher, I can safely say we won't have to do that."

Eyes widening again, she felt pure relief and happiness. Grinning, she turned to him and planted a kiss to his lip. The excitement she felt was running through her like a drug and he happily took the kiss from her, steering her closer towards him.

"Are you sure you aren't mad at me for this?" Aria asked breathlessly, referring back to Ezra.

"Are you still dating him?" Jason asked, obviously knowing the answer. "No." Aria rolled her eyes.

"And you don't have feelings for him anymore right?"

Aria shook her head and glanced from his lips back to his eyes, "if you remember, I was the one that broke up with him."

"Then I'm fine with it, because you're mine," he said leaning forward and bringing his lips back on hers. Smiling into the kiss, she enjoyed those words, kissing him with fiery again.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

The doorbell rang which broke them apart. With heavy breaths, the two moved apart from each other and Jason got up to get the door. Flying back onto the couch, Aria looked up to the ceiling in pure heaven. Her and Jason were now a couple, the secret of Ezra was out and she was happier than she had ever been in a long time.

Listening as she heard mumbling from Jason and the pizza guy, she licked her lips and smiled at the taste of him.

"Aria?" he asked, looking to her with a silly grin as she was sprawled across his couch in a daze of happiness.

"Come on, pizza's here," he laughed slightly. Following him back along into the kitchen, Jason brought out some paper plates and napkins. He got the two some drinks and stood across from each other.

"When do you think the power will come back on?" she wondered.

"Hopefully by sometime later tonight," he told her as she watched the dancing flame of the candle. She was beautiful. The light covered her face, highlighting her natural beauty and gave her more of a complexity than what he usually saw.

They talked more over the pizza they munched on, learning things about each other that they never really thought about or knew. It was interesting to see that different side of each of them.

"Hey Aria?" Jason asked as she waited for him after throwing everything away and cleaning up. He slipped his hand in hers and walked them back to the couch again. "What happened in your house? Why did you think someone was inside?"

Aria stiffened again, thinking back to 'A' as Jason sat them down. Hands still together and him wrapped around her, her anxiety simmered down and she let out a breath in peace. "I thought I heard a noise." The mask of bravery was put up again and it was visible to Jason she didn't like (or want) to talk about this.

"Did you see something? Did something happen?" he prodded again.

"Nope," she said laying them both down, "I just thought I heard something. It must have been the storm. And when the lights went out, I just freaked out."

Jason studied her as his back was against the couch cushions with his elbow propping him up over Aria. She was laying on her back trying to find some ball of fuzz on her shirt. There was something more going on than what Aria was telling him. Her avoidance techniques needed to be brushed upon, but he could see she didn't want to talk about this. Jason didn't push any further. Instead, he put an am around her waist and brought her side closer to him.

"Jason?" she asked as he played with her hair. Glancing up at him, she decided to be truly honest. "I know who it was that broke into your shed. It was Spencer and Emily."

His eyes went wide, and a hint of betrayal and hurt shown through.

"I didn't know until today after I saw you," she added quickly. "Hanna told me."

Jason stayed silent, thinking about everything now. Obviously trust was low on the totem pole for all of them.

"They said they saw you had pictures of me…sleeping," Aria mumbled. She fiddled with her hands again, hoping that Jason wasn't too mad and had an explanation. "Did you take them?"

"I developed them," he said, getting over the stun he felt. Looking back down to Aria, he tilted her head up so they were face-to-face, meeting eyes, "I found a roll of film in a box in Ali's room. I used the shed as a dark room to develop them."

Aria's eyes softened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to put them in frames and give them to you when they were ready."

"But why were they gone when Spencer and Emily went back there? They said that everything was picked up and gone."

His eyebrows furrowed and he felt a twinge of anger. "Aria, I thought someone broke in. There were pictures of you in there and I didn't think anyone needed to see them to get some twisted idea. Once I saw that the shed had been broken into I moved everything back into the house so I could find a better lock. It's all still upstairs."

Her body mellowed out some more and she felt beyond relieved that Jason was not who the girls thought he was. The explanation made sense and until it could be disproven, that's what she was going to believe.

"Why does this feel like an interrogation again?" he questioned again with hurt. "And why did Spencer and Emily feel like they had to break in?"

The quick questions had startled Aria and her answers "No! It's not like that Jason!"

He looked at her skeptically and began to pull away. Panicking again, Aria held onto him and went to explain. "Its not what you think it is. Spencer and Emily they were just-…it-…I…" Aria wasn't sure what to say to justify her friends actions It all had to be carefully thought out before giving an answer in order not to give away 'A'.

"It's not about you," she settled on, "there are just some things us girls are trying to get in order and they thought you were being really suspicious with that shed. I guess they were too curious and afraid to ask."

"I was defensive over it because they were pictures of you," he said to her like he didn't believe a word she was saying.

"I know," Aria said feeling guilty. "I get that now, and I'm sorry. But I thought, it was better that you knew who broke in to your place. It wont happen again with them – I'm sorry."

Nodding, he kissed her forehead and rested back beside her.

Relieved that he wasn't too mad, Aria snuggled closer to Jason. "Why do you think Ali took those pictures?" she was beyond curious to find out why. It didn't seem to make sense or seem like the Ali she knew.

He shrugged, "I don't know. I wondered that too. She never showed them to you?"

Aria shook her head and turned onto her side to curl into Jason's chest. "I didn't even know she was into photography like that. The least she could have done was given me a heads up."

Jason cracked a smile.

Sarcasm filled Aria's voice then. "Maybe like a 'hey Aria, while you're sleeping tonight, I'm going to take some pictures of you. Okay? Great thanks.'"

"I can show them to you if you would like," he spoke softly. "They are pretty good."

Aria glanced up to him with playful narrow eyes. "Your judgment is bias."

"Nah," he responded kissing her lips quickly.

"Show me them when you think are complete," Aria decided. "I'm in no rush and I want to see them as a finished product."

The words were given as a silent trust towards Jason. They both knew Aria could have jumped on the chance to see them to make sure what he was saying was true, but she believed in him. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

They laid on the couch a while longer, putting on some random movie that happened to be one of Aria's favorites. Jason gently ran his hands through her hair while she snuggled with him and started to drift off to sleep. The peaceful dreaming girl beside him was all he could ever need in life. Jason knew Aria was beyond perfect, even more so now. Their history before they really knew each other was even evidence to that.

Out of all Ali's friends that had tagged along beside her, Aria was the one that always kept Jason on his toes. It wasn't just the pink hair that had put points in his book, but the way she would voice her opinion to his sister and stick up for what she believed in. Unlike the other girls Aria also called friends, Jason felt like, she out of all of them, made sure her personality was known and didn't care if they liked it or not – although what wasn't to like since she was always so caring and sweet.

Aria was the girl he always dreamed of and he was lucky enough to have her beside him. It was all he thought about after coming back to Rosewood and all he wanted since he cleaned himself up from that drug-induced teenager he once was.

"Aria," Jason whispered softly to the sleeping girl. "Come on, I'll take you up to the guest bedroom."

When she gave some kind of murmur about something that he couldn't interpret he let out a chuckle. She hugged him tighter to her too, balling his shirt in her fists so they couldn't move.

"Ari," he called again, this time a bit louder. The nickname slipped from his mouth subconsciously of course, but it fit her perfectly. It's also what got her to wake up…

"Come on, you can sleep in a bed upstairs."

Tiredly she agreed, letting go of Jason and moving upward so he could get up. As he climbed over Aria and off the couch, he held his hand for the semi asleep girl. They walked up the stairs slower than usual, which Jason laughed at to himself too. The poor girl was exhausted.

"I'll get you something to sleep in," he said as they walked into the guest room. As Jason left, Aria woke her self a bit rubbing her face with her hands. Sitting on the silky sheets of the bed, she glanced around at the guest room. It was actually really nice, a room that Aria couldn't seem to remember in the house before. The room was fairly large, with unpainted white walls, thick crown molding, a huge window covered with newspaper, and its own bathroom off to the side.

"Here," Jason said handing Aria one of his white short sleeve tees and a pair of grey sweatpants. "They're going to be a bit big but I figured you probably wouldn't have wanted anything of Ali's."

Aria flinched at that, agreeing with her boyfriend wholeheartedly. "Thanks."

Nodding, he watched the sudden quiet girl, feeling slightly awkward for not knowing what to say.

"I've never seen this room before," Aria stated puzzled as she looked at him.

"It was mine," Jason spoke up. "I just repainted the walls white, got rid of most things and called it a guest room. There are some things that need to be done, like painting again, but I thought this space deserved a fresh start too."

"I like it," Aria noted, looking around again. "A fresh start is always good."

Moving forward, Jason came to sit next to Aria on the edge of the bed. Leaning over, Aria set her head on Jason's shoulder, still tired from the day. "Thank you for letting me stay."

"Anytime," Jason said, moving his arm to wrap around her so she could lay her head on his chest to make her more comfy.

A faded chirping had both of them looking all around. Pondering what would make that sound, Aria started searching for her phone. "It's probably my cell, I'll be right back," she told Jason. Leaving go from him of him for a quick minute, she rushed downstairs only to see a missed call from her mom and a new text message from unknown.

Shakily she let out a breath and decided to call her mom back first. That way, if Aria got creeped out she could run to Jason.

It rang a few times before Ella finally picked up. "Hey sweetie," her voice rang.

"Hey mom, what's up?" Aria asked from her stance in the foyer where she put her things down earlier.

"Just calling to check in. Everything all right back at home?"

Aria bit her lip at that, thinking hopefully since I'm at Jason's… "Yea mom, everything is fine. I was actually just going to get ready for bed since there's school tomorrow."

"Oh okay good," Ella said proud of her daughter.

"How's Mike?" Aria asked clearing her throat.

"Well no sign of anything yet. He just met the guy, all routine stuff until tomorrow when he actually has a session. So no news yet."

"Alright, well keep me posted?" she asked, still worried for her baby brother.

"Of course honey," Ella said. Saying their goodnights and I love you's, they ended their connection and Aria was left with a text from unknown.

Hitting open, Aria read the message that made her blood run cold.

**Think you can hide out at my brother's all week long? Just wait till you have to go home – A.**

Aria's heart wanted to lurch from her chest as she read 'A's words. Everything 'A' was saying was frightening and she knew that Aria would have to go home soon. Not only was her backpack there, with all of her books and papers, but her clothes and other necessities. The question that Aria had though was what was she supposed to expect when she got home? What had 'A' done?

Snapping her phone closed, Aria took a look around Jason's dark home and ran upstairs. The candles they had lit had now gone out and Aria was scared as heck. She composed herself before entering Jason's old room again though. She put up that smooth calm mask she had gotten good at. Aria thought that no one could ever really tell what she was feeling behind that. Little did she know Jason was trying, and getting pretty good at it.

"Sorry, it was just my mom," Aria said walking back in.

"Everything okay?" he asked, looking at her invisibly masked face. Something must have happened downstairs because she was now looking guarded.

Aria waved off the question, trying not to let on any fear even though she knew that question he had asked carried a double meaning. Jason wasn't just referring to the call to her mother, but her tranquil poise that seemed to always try to put up in the presence of him. "Yea, she was just saying goodnight and doing that whole mom thing."

He observed her carefully again, liked he did a lot. Sometimes Jason thought if he stared and analyzed her body language long enough he would be able to read her – and sometimes he could.

"I'm going to go change into these real quick," Aria said picking up the clothes from the bed and going to the bathroom off from his room. Shutting the door, Aria exhaled out a long breath and shut her eyes. Composure was key and she was losing it.

She shed own clothes only to slip into Jason's while in the process of thinking about 'A'. How did 'A' even know she went to Jason's? Was someone watching her leave the house? Were they stalking Jason's now? It sure sounded like Ali sent the text since it said my brother. Could it really have been her? Was she alive? Or was it someone else trying to act like Ali?

"Ar? You okay in there?" Jason asked her knocking on the door.

"Oh yea, one second," she claimed, trying to tighten the sweatpants before opening the door.

"So are you going to be at school tomorrow?" Aria wondered.

"Not till the afternoon, but I can drive you to your place to pick up some of your things in the morning if you want," he offered. Aria suddenly paled at that, thinking back to 'A's text.

"Ar?" Jason asked again, now walking over to her as she went stiff.

"Um, yea," Aria said coming back to life when he touched her. _She's been doing this a lot lately_, Jason noted to himself.

"That sounds great. Thank you."

Nodding, he touched Aria's forehead lightly, moving some hair to go behind her hair. "I'll let you get some sleep," he offered. Kissing her forehead softly, he backed away, ready to leave the room.

"Jason?" Aria called quickly. "Will you actually…stay? I mean, you don't have to I just…I don't want to be alone," she confessed. He watched her then, she didn't have her regular mask up that time, but she was holding something back.

"Sure," he said shrugging from the doorway. "Let me go change and I'll be back."

Forcing a smile to her face, Aria nodded and sat back on the bed.

"Hey Aria," Jason called, turning back around, "Are you in some kind of danger? Is something happening I don't know about?" he bluntly wondered. Astonished, Aria sat still and let her eyes bug out of her head. "I feel like you're hiding something from me," he stated softly. "Am I wrong?"

Swallowing hard, Aria broke their stare and wondered what she was supposed to do now. She had two paths, one would be not telling Jason but that would require lying and the other was telling him, but that could lead to dangers for him. He would then be in 'A's crosshairs and she didn't want that. But she couldn't keep evading the truth like she's been doing. Obviously it hasn't been working and he isn't going to take it much longer.

"I just wanted some company that's all," Aria said shrugging. "You don't have to…"

"No," he protested quickly. He wanted to sleep with her – not in that way, well yes, in that way but not tonight. Jason just wanted to hold her, to possibly comfort her and cuddle together. Even though they were just starting to do this couple thing, he liked it. "Aria, I'm just making sure you are okay. Something is freaking you out, I can tell."

"Just the crazy storm," Aria said forcing another smile to her face. Not answering, he stared at her again. _God, he knows something is up. He can tell that I'm lying,_ Aria thought in her head.

_What isn't she telling me? _Jason wondered. _Why isn't she giving me the complete truth?_

"Alright, I'll be right back," he spoke. Wandering off, Aria let out another breath and opened her beeping phone.

**Nice choice. Wouldn't want my brother to be collateral damage now would we? – A**

Aria held back her tears, feeling her heart wrench at that. If 'A' was to ever hurt him, Aria could never…and would never forgive herself for that. Closing her phone more softly this time, she put her head in her hands and tried to push herself together. Jason was to be here any minute so to wipe any trace of her sadness; Aria set her phone down on the nightstand and stood up from the bed pulling back the sheets.


	10. Chapter 10

They settled into bed fairly easy. Aria was already tucked in when Jason came back to be with her. His body dipped the mattress and Aria went over to snuggle with him. As they laid there in the peaceful silence, with rain pattering hard against the window, Aria hugged him to calm her fears.

"I'll wake you up at six tomorrow okay?" he asked her softly as he ran his fingers up and down her back.

"Yea," she replied softly feeling tired once again. A small "thanks" escaped her lips as she fell asleep against him and Jason gave an uplifted smile at that. His eyebrows became to furrow though when he thought back to their conversation from before. Something was going on…something was happening to Aria that he didn't know about, but what?

"You're safe Aria," he whispered into the silence "you're always going to be safe with me."

She repositioned a bit, still making sure she was close to him as she slept. And as he became tired too, his motions against Aria's skin stopped and his breathing slowed. _I love you_ was his last thought before falling into dreamland too.

* * *

As promised, Jason woke Aria up at six. She didn't have school till eight so that gave them time for breakfast and a chance to grab her things back at her own place. Rubbing her hair, he kissed her temple and lightly brought her out of her slumber.

"Hey," he stated warmly, watching her eyes flutter open.

"Hey," she sighed contently, snuggling with a pillow as he kneeled beside the edge of the bed.

"Sleep good?"

"One of the best," she blushed as he gazed at her.

"Breakfast is downstairs when you are ready. And the power came back on this morning so you should have a light in the bathroom. There is also a spare toothbrush and paste in the bathroom set for you. If you need anything else just let me know okay?"

Nodding, she smiled at him before leaning over to kiss him lightly. Getting back up from his knees he watched as Aria sat up in bed, running a hand through what she must have thought to be tangled unstyled hair.

After leaving her be, Jason went back downstairs making breakfast was all set for the two of them. Waking up beside Aria in the early morning was beyond amazing. The way she looked when she slept was even more angelic than what was portrayed in the pictures his sister took. Jason seemed to be falling harder and faster for this girl each minute he spent with her.

"I can't believe how nice it looks outside," Aria said as she came down the stairs. "It doesn't even look like a huge storm passed through here."

Still dressed in his clothes, Aria kept her phone in hand and met Jason in the kitchen for another kiss.

"Yea, we are lucky I guess. It seemed like the storm was never going to end."

"Hear ya there," she spoke; grabbing a strawberry from the fruit he set out. Breakfast was unusually smooth. Aria thought that there would be at least some awkward pauses or silence but nothing like that happened. It seemed like a regular day incorporated in a regular routine for them.

Smiling to herself a bit, she helped clean up the plates and then went to change her clothes back to what she was wearing yesterday.

"I can wash these today if you want," Aria offered, holding Jason's shirt and sweats in her hand as he waited for her to take her back to her place. "I'll give them back to you tomorrow."

"Keep 'em," he said giving her a small smile. "They looked pretty good on you."

Blushing she slipped on her shoes and put them in her bag. Aria should have been anxious. With everything happening, her problems should be giving her a run for her money. But when she was around Jason she didn't feel that worry anymore. It could be because it hadn't hit her yet on this perfect morning but she didn't feel a thing except happiness. 'A's words couldn't get her here with Jason and inside his house. She felt absolutely safe with him and it was like nothing could get her down. For once Aria felt confident.

Opening the front door for her, she flashed Jason another smile, as they made their way to his car. The drive to Aria's was fairly easy and nothing looked disturbed from the outside of the house. Grabbing the keys from her purse, Aria opened the front door, walked inside and stopped. This time she was stunned. All of the windows in the kitchen were completely shattered, glass had flown everywhere. There was not one window surrounding that area where it had not broke.

A – was Aria's immediate thought. Whoever he or she was must have done this as a warning to Aria. They had kept up their word at least from the text message.

"It must have been the storm," Jason claimed, taking in the damage as well as he followed her in the house.

"Yea," Aria breathed in disbelief. How was she going to fix this? Or pay for it? What was she going to do and what were her parents going to think? Did 'A' ruin anything else?

Jason glanced to his distressed girlfriend, taking her hand in his. "We can fix this – your parents don't have to know. I can come by after school today and clean this up and then replace the windows to look like new."

"That's a lot of work," Aria said, still taking in the damage.

"Its not as hard as you think," he said trying to relieve his girlfriend. "I can do it Aria, its no big deal."

"Jason…" Aria started, now turning to look at him.

"Let me do this, it will be fine," he spoke, facing her too. With a unsure look, Jason leaned down, kissing her lips.

"Go get your things, do what you need to do, and I will sweep up this glass. Do you have a broom or anything I can use?" he asked kindly.

Feeling somewhat better, Aria went and hugged her boyfriend around the waist once more, kissing him as he looked down to her. "There's a broom in the closet, I'll go get it."

Slowly letting her go, Jason kissed her one last time and watched her walk away. When she was somewhere out of sight, he walked further into the house, marveling at the damage the storm had done to the Montgomery's house. It was a good thing Aria was with him for the night.

Meanwhile as Jason was doing that, Aria had went into their cleaning closet and found a broom. On the stick of it was a note taped from her own personal stalker. **Since you liked Jason's redecorations so much I thought you would like mine. Think you can just escape from me Aria? Think again. – A.**

Aria quickly tore the note form the handle, balling it up in her hand as she brought the broom back to Jason. The damage to the house was once again a shock and she wanted to cry for 'A' doing this to her.

"Thanks," Jason said, taking the broom from her hand, as he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

"I'm going to go take a shower. Are you sure you want to do this? I can stick around and help you if you want?"

"No," he said in a light manner. "Go take your shower, change your clothes. Do whatever you do to get ready for school. I can clean this up in no time. I don't need you helping me and possibly getting hurt."

Rolling her eyes, Aria kissed Jason again for being so kind. "It's not that dangerous," she added with a knowing look. "Still – its something we can avoid happening," Jason said kissing Aria again.

"I'll be down as quick as I can," she said already rushing off to get ready.

"Take your time!" he called back, watching as she went up the stairs.

* * *

Jason had all of the glass cleaned up by the time Aria walked back downstairs. That impressed her, since it seemed like there was so much broken glass that it would have taken forever to pick up.

"You might want to keep your shoes on for a while just till we make sure there aren't any tiny specs of glass laying around that I missed," he stated as he heard her walk down the steps.

"Okay." Her smile faded as she began to acknowledge the openness of her house now.

"If you want, we can put something up to cover the windows."

"Do you think someone will come in?" Aria asked hesitantly, ignoring Jason's offer. She was worried about 'A' or whoever might want to mess with her. The open windows gave them an obvious way to enter the house.

"I think they could…but who would want to?" he asked Aria slightly confused by the question. "Aria, the storm did this."

"Right," Aria said quickly going with that story too. She of course didn't believe that for one second, but for Jason's sake, she accepted that.

"What's going on with you?" he wondered, very puzzled on her behavior.

"Nothing," she said shrugging a bit, "I was just worried someone could easily come in and steal something since no one is going to be home, that's all."

Staring at her in that Jason kind of way, he walked to her, studying the heck out of any expression he could find that flickered across her features. Putting a smile on her face, Aria took the broom from his hands, and went to set it back in its place. From there, it was about 7:15 and Aria needed to grab her bag. Usually her and the girls got there early to sit around and talk about what was going on.

Stuffing her books in her hands and knapsack, she made sure she had everything. "Did you want a ride today?" Jason asked her. Forgetting he was there for a second, she jumped and spun around. An eyebrow was raised at her for that, wondering what was making her so anxious.

"Uh, no that's okay. My car is here, and I probably need to pick up some things from my mom's sub or whatever."

"Okay," Jason shrugged. "But I'll meet you back here after school? That way I can fix the replace the glass and fix the windows."

"Are you sure? I'm sure we can call someone for that," Aria said not wanting to be trouble.

"Seriously I don't mind at all. Just wait for me here when you're out from school. I shouldn't be too late. As a matter of fact, I'll go pick up the glass now, that way I don't have to make a stop for it after school."

"Yea?" Aria asked, feeling a small smile creep up on her. Jason was unbelievable. Just how far was he willing to jump through hoops for her?

"It's no trouble," he said taking her by the waist and bringing her to him.

"Okay," she murmured, kissing his soft luscious lips. Making out for a while in the open kitchen, they finally gathered some sense and parted from each other. With Aria swiping the keys from the counter, Jason followed her out helping her into her car.

"I'll see you later."

"'kay," he murmured against her lips as he bent down for another kiss. Grinning from ear to ear, Aria shook her head as Jason shut the car door and watched as she drove off.

* * *

"There you are!" Spencer called as Aria rushed up to them in the courtyard "I know, I'm sorry. You guys wont believe what happened…"

"And you wont believe what we found out," Spencer said in a very serious tone.

Aria was suddenly very puzzled. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"Toby and I were going through Ian's things, packing the crap into boxes when we found an old yearbook." Not catching the drift, Spencer continued. "Inside was the graduating class Ian was in. Did you know Jason and Garret graduated then too?"

"Really?" Aria asked, perking up at the sound of Jason's name.

"They belonged to a club called the N.A.T." Spencer stressed.

"N.A.T? What is that? Do we even have a club like that?" Aria asked, glancing over to her two other, fairly quiet, friends.

"No, it wasn't labeled in the yearbook. But I remembered that Ian had a shirt with the beginning words of N.A.T. Aria, in Latin it stands for 'we see all'." Spencer was now in her overly stressed and concerned mode.

"Okay so…what? You think that this club means they made a pact to stalk the hell out of us and possibly kill other people for the fun of it?" Aria asked with sarcasm.

"No," Emily spoke up, "what we think Aria, is that the N.A.T club's members are the ones that took that video of Ali."

"They could also be the ones to have stalked us too," Spencer added.

Aria opened her mouth to protest. "But…" That didn't make any sense. Why would Jason be apart of that? Why would he want to stalk his sister and her friends?

"Aria, it makes total sense now. The pictures we saw in Jason's shed and how Ian and whoever else wanted that video. They are all on there, that's why they want it back."

"No," Aria said visibly shaking her head. "No you guys, you have parts of this wrong. I was at Jason's last night. He explained it all. Those pictures-"

"Wait, what?" Hanna said wide-eyed.

"You were at Jason's?" Spencer asked with a disbelief of anger.

Aria sighed, knowing what was about to come. "You guys…Jason and I are a couple now."

"What?" All three of her friends said with mouths agape and bulging eyes.

"It happened last night," Aria said a bit quieter.

"Aria! He could be a killer!" Spencer protested a bit too loud. Making her quiet down, Aria shook her head. "I don't think so you guys. There are more and more things that are not starting to add up."

"Wait, okay hold up, I'm extremely confused," Hanna said. Deflated, Aria went over the quick version. She told them about the kiss in the park between her and Jason, and then the fiasco with Mike and her mom. Then she went over seeing him again at the drug store, obviously running into Hanna, then the unexpected trip her parent's were taking with Mike to New Jersey and over the whole thing about Jason's place and the texts from 'A'.

By the time Aria was done explaining, they were at her locker, trying to process it all before heading off to class.

"So…wow," Hanna spoke first.

"I can't believe you are now a couple Aria," Spencer said beyond mad.

"Spencer, there is nothing wrong with it. Nowhere do we have hard evidence that Jason is tied to 'A' or the killings. I don't want to jump to conclusions yet," Aria justified.

"We have a lot of proof!" Spencer protested. "There are the pictures, the N.A.T club thing…"

"I explained the pictures," she spoke up. "I'm not sure about the N.A.T part yet, but I'll ask him today after school."

"Wait, you're seeing him again?" Emily asked slightly surprised.

"He's my boyfriend you guys," Aria said tiredly. She hated going through this repetition with her friends. Why couldn't they just trust her? "So yes, I am. The windows in the kitchen are completely gone. 'A' shattered the glass and I'm left with an open house for anyone to enter. Jason offered to fix them when he walked in the place with me and I decided to take it."

"Why don't you just hire someone?" Spencer snapped.

"Because it's going to be faster if Jason does it. And I trust him Spence."

"Well I don't," she rebutted.

Sighing, Aria tried to reason with her friend. "Spence, remember when you were like this when Emily befriended Toby? He ended up not being guilty of anything and now you two are going out! This could be like that."

"Its not," Spencer declared. Aria pushed away the anger that she felt stirring below. "Well then look at Hanna and Caleb. We accused him too and in reality he's a good guy."

"He was spying on our best friend for Jenna. That doesn't make him a good guy."

"He broke it off when he realized he had feelings for Hanna. And she's forgiven him for that," Aria snapped. Now Spencer was just being unreasonable.

"Spence, Aria does have a point," Emily concluded. Hanna silently nodded.

"Thank you!" Aria cheered exasperated.

"That doesn't mean he isn't hiding something or is being fully open. I think you still need to be careful around him Aria," Emily warned with a pointed look.

"And I will," Aria mended, "But I also want you guys to be happy for me. I really like Jason. He's really sweet to me and he gives me a reason to get up from these miserable days."

The bell rang, each girl parting her way. With a hand to Aria's arm, Hanna gave the girl a smile, Emily doing the same, while Spencer just stormed off. Throwing her head back, Aria let out a groan and went to class.

The day was going horribly slow and by the time lunch came around things weren't any better. Spencer was stuck on her opinion of Jason, clearly not happy that Aria was now dating him. Hanna and Emily seemed to be feeling awkward as they gave each other stares every so often.

"So do you think we are being stalked?" Aria asked in a hushed tone as she picked at her food.

"I think you might be," Hanna spoke.

"Who could be behind all this you guys?" Aria wondered to her friends.

"Who do _**you**_ think?" Spencer snapped. Aria rolled her eyes, trying to ignore Spencer's immaturity.

"I think that you shouldn't be alone tonight," Emily spoke. "Until your windows are fixed and we know that 'A' hasn't messed around with anything else in your house, you should stay with someone else."

Aria slumped in her seat. Hanna's was out of the question. Mrs. Marin already had Emily as a houseguest; she didn't want to be an added one. And Spencer's was out too. She couldn't hang around her for too long of a time period or she might do something she would regret. So who did that leave?

"I'll see if Jason will stay with me or we could go back to his place."

Both Hanna and Emily looked to each other while Spencer's eyes lit on fire. "No."

"Who would you like me to stay with then Spencer?" Aria snapped.

"Someone besides him."

"Well he is all I have right now," she barked. "I obviously can't crash with Emily or Hanna for the few days my parents and Mike are gone, and I obviously wont be staying with you since we can't seem to get along, so that leaves Jason."

"Aria! You're being so–…"

"What?" Aria challenged as her friend stopped herself.

"If you do sleep over his house again, keep your phone on you?" Hanna butted in. "We can check in on you from time to time," Emily added peacefully.

"Sure," Aria smiled simmering down.

"I can come back to your house after school today Aria, that way your not home alone while waiting for Jason," her blond friend added when she glanced at the tense Hastings's girl.

"Thanks Han," Aria smiled, pushing her food around.

"This is ridiculous," Spencer protested, pushing her chair back and grabbing her food on her way out.

**Looks like someone doesn't approve of your choice in men either Aria. Be careful with my brother's heart –A**

Aria showed the text message to both Hanna and Emily, and began looking around. Too many people were on their phones. Pointing out to them again it said 'brother' not 'Jason'; they were mildly interested in that technicality too.

"Like 'A' is saying, you need to be really careful Aria," Hanna warned as lunch finished.

Nodding – a quirk she was starting to pick up from Jason – she stood up from her seat and threw her lunch away.

_**A/N: So as I'm writing this and trying to get ahead with my chapters, I'm finding this is actually going to be a pretty long story. Hopefully you all can give me some reviews and stick with the story? Is it okay that this is going to be long or should I start cutting it down? Please let me know. Thank you!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: So since this story is actually going to be long, I'm trying to upload a bunch of chapters and get things moving. I hope you all are enjoying this story and would love to hear any ideas you have for the future. Hopefully I can mark this story complete fairly quickly. Thanks for all who have 'followed', 'favorited' or reviewed. It truly means a ton.**_

Hanna met Aria in the parking lot as they followed each other back to the Montgomery household. Showing Hanna the wreckage, she unlocked the front door and stepped inside to look at the mess.

"Wow, 'A' really did some damage on your house," Hanna stated.

"Yea," Aria sighed, throwing her keys down on the counter and shedding her stuff.

"And Jason really offered to fix it all up for you?" she asked curiously.

"Mhmm," Aria smiled to herself. "I think I was in such shock that he offered to help me out. I mean, could you imagine what my parents would have thought if I told them?"

"Have you talked to them at all today?" Hanna wondered setting her own things down.

"Not yet. My mom called last night to say goodnight. I guess Mike was supposed to meet with the therapist today for a full session."

"Does Jason know what's happening to Mike?"

Aria rolled her eyes and turned back to face her friend. "He's the one that caught Mike trying to break into his house. It kind of speaks for itself…"

Going quiet, Hanna glanced up at her the petite girl hesitantly. "Aria, I support you, you know that right?"

"I know, Han, and thanks for that. I honestly don't think I can take much more of Spencer."

"But you see her point don't you?" she asked as Aria came to sit down with her at the kitchen table.

"I do," Aria pushed. "But she wont see mine."

"There's a lot going on with 'A'. And I'm not using that as an excuse or anything – we have a lot on all of our plates – but I mean, we are also accusing Melissa of some serious things too. And that's her sister."

"Do you really think she still had something to do with all of this? There has to be other people involved too right?" Aria asked aloud, continuing her rant. "…It just…it doesn't make sense to me anymore. What's the purpose of this game? To have all of Rosewood think we are liars or total bitches? 'A' has had that one down for a while now."

"I don't even know," Hanna groaned with her head in her hands. Pulling out their books, the girls decided to do some homework to pass the time and worry they were feeling.

"Are you going to spend the night at Jason's again?" Hanna asked bluntly which surprised the heck out of Aria. "What?"

"What are the arraignments for tonight so I know? His place; your place…? Are you guys about to shack up a night at some hotel…"

"Hanna!" Aria protested.

"What?" she replied innocently to her friend, "I just want to know so in case anything happens I know where you are."

Rolling her eyes, Aria looked to her papers and shrugged. "I don't even know if he will want to spend the night or vice versa," Aria mumbled.

"What guy wouldn't want a chance to get in bed with you Aria?" Hanna asked. Stunned, the two girls began to laugh at what just was said.

"What's got you girls so happy?" Jason asked walking through the door.

"Hey," Aria said, beaming from her seat as she saw her boyfriend walk in her house.

"Oh just go kiss him," Hanna huffed as she watched the pair make oogily eyes at each other. Blushing, Aria got up from her seat, walking over to Jason who seemed to be walking over to her too and began kissing the heck out of him.

Rolling her eyes, Hanna glanced a way, but smiled at her friend's happiness.

"So what are you both up to?" Jason asked as her as Aria pulled away. "Just some homework. Hanna is meeting Caleb later for dinner so we thought we would chill here and watch you be hard at work."

Raising an eyebrow to his girlfriend, a spreading grin went across her face. "I have the sheets of glass in the car," he told her.

"Good," Aria chirped. Stealing another kiss from Jason, she let him go only to go sit back down with Hanna.

"I'll be back," he told the both of them, walking out the door once again.

"God, you look almost high," Hanna mocked with a slight tease.

"Hanna!" Aria said laughing.

Rolling her eyes, Hanna went back to her work. "It's good to see you happy though."

Aria beamed once again. "Thank you."

So as Jason came in and out of the house, doing whatever really needed to be done to get the windows fixed, while Aria and Hanna worked on their homework. Many times the girls would stop to talk about whatever reminded them of their day, but they never brought up 'A' with Jason around.

"Are you going to go to the college fair tomorrow?" Hanna wondered twirling her pencil in her hands.

"I wasn't really planning on it, but isn't it kind of mandatory since its during school hours?" Aria responded writing something down on her paper.

"I was thinking of going in late but my mom is taking some kind of fit saying its important to our future and helping us decide where we might want to go from here…"

Looking up with a raised eyebrow, Aria held back a chuckle. "That's...nice."

"Isn't…'you know who' going to be there?" Hanna asked, being a little more secretive than usual as Jason walked back into the kitchen.

Aria leaned over her papers, matching her friends posture with a louder voice. "You can say his name Han. Ezra might be there, I don't really know."

Sitting back up, she added nonchalantly, "It never really crossed my thoughts."

"Well, we can try and ditch together if you want," Hanna shrugged. Jason left the room again and when Aria's phone beeped, she read the message and immediately showed her best friend.

**The battle of boys is on. One still trying to win over Aria's affection again and the other already getting it. Who will win? Watch my brother Aria, wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to you if you break Jason's heart –A**

Closing her phone when Jason came back into the house, Aria gave Hanna a meaningful look and was silently panicking. The two of them stayed unusually quiet which gave Jason a heads up that he was missing something.

"What?" he asked the pair at the table. They were both looking at each other with these wide-eyed glances.

"Nothing," Aria said with that calm façade up again shaking her head quickly.

"We were just talking about… !" Hanna exclaimed like a light bulb went on in her head. Shooting her a glare, Aria shook her head to the blonde too.

"He's going to be at the college fair tomorrow…probably," Aria elaborated to Jason.

"Are you going?" he wondered, pretending like he didn't hear their conversation from beforehand.

"I don't know. Probably not," she shrugged.

"You could if you want," Jason shrugged to her. Although he wanted Aria to do what she felt comfortable with, he didn't like the fact that her ex was most likely going to be there, around her, when he wasn't.

Silence went around for a few seconds and Jason looked up to Aria. She was giving him a raised eyebrow. "You trying to get rid of me?"

"Hell no," he said with all honesty. Both girls chuckled. "I just want you to do what makes you happy."

Grinning from ear to ear, Aria stood up from her seat, walking over to her somewhat sweaty boyfriend. "You make me happy."

Looking down at her, he mumbled a quick "good," before putting his lips on hers.

"Ew, okay," Hanna said trying to get the couple to separate, "so Jason, are you almost done with the windows?"

With a few more quick pecks to Aria's lips, he glanced to her friend and nodded, "I have a few more things to do before polishing off the finishing touches but it should be done fairly soon."

"Okay cool," Hanna said packing her things after checking her phone, "it's almost time for me to go meet Caleb." Glancing to Aria, who was still making pretty eyes at Jason, Hanna began huffing – marching over to her best friend and tugging her hand to drag her upstairs. "Excuse us for a moment!" she called to Jason over her shoulder.

"Hey!" Aria said trying to pull away.

"Quit fighting me," Hanna snapped, bringing them upstairs to her room leaving a puzzled Jason. "What are you going to do about that 'A' text?" Hanna asked crossing her arms to Aria as they shut her door. "It seems like she knew exactly what we were talking about."

"Meaning she…he…them, whatever, were listening to our conversation somehow, "Aria sighed. "Ugh! I don't even know anymore."

"Aria, if you are going to get involved with him…more than you already are," Hanna muttered. "Then you need to be serious about this. 'A' seems like she's going to be out for blood if you break Jason's heart. Need I remind you how she hit me with a car?"

Hanna watched her best friends face begin to fall. "All I'm saying is that with the lies we are already keeping…"

"I have to tread carefully," Aria finished. The blonde nodded.

"I can do that Han," Aria said. "I can."

"Alright," Hanna sighed. Hugging her friend, she put an arm around her shoulder and went to bring her back downstairs, "that's all I want to hear."

* * *

"Okay then," Hanna announced walking carefully down the steps with Aria in tow, "then I'm off."

"Tell Caleb I said hi," Aria smiled sweetly.

"I will," Hanna said sweeping her bag off the table and swinging it around her shoulder. "Call or text me so I know you won't be home alone tonight. If you need me to, I can really try and convince my mom to let you crash at my place. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I'll let you know," Aria blushed as she knew Hanna was obviously telling her in code to let her know if she would be sleeping alone tonight or if Jason and to tell her where.

"Okay then," Hanna chirped while stepping outside. "Bye Jason," she called as she passed him. Giving the signature Jason nod, both him and Aria watched as Hanna got into her car and took off.

"Did you two finish your homework?" Jason asked, coming up on the porch to see her.

"Almost," she smiled, craning her neck up to look at him as he came closer. Laying a sweet soft kiss on her lips, they both moaned in appreciation. Aria's hand came up to Jason's soft broad cheek, while Jason hugged Aria closer to him.

"Let me know when you're done? We can do something here or hang around back my place again if you're more comfortable."

"You sure you want to stay?" Aria asked now snuggling against his warm body.

"Are you kicking me out?" he teased squeezing her tight.

"Never," Aria blushed taking a peek up at him. "Just making sure you don't have to do anything that I'm taking you away from."

"Never," he replied, using her own words back at her. Setting his chin on top of her head, Jason and Aria stood there on the porch for what seemed like the longest time, just holding each other in peace.

"I need to go finish calc," Aria groaned in his chest. Jason let out a chuckle, kissing her head to make her feel better. "I'll probably be in the kitchen banging around so you might want to move to a different area to do that," he warned.

"Alright," she sighed, leaving go of him just a little bit. "Will you come get me when you're done? I'll move my things up to my room and finish them there."

"Sure," he said kissing her lips when they became face to face again.

* * *

Struggling with calculus was something Aria did a lot. She didn't enjoy the subject of math even though she was fairly good at it and she definitely didn't enjoy her old teacher Mr. Ringwold. He had been a teacher at Rosewood since her mother was a teenager and didn't exactly know how to teach anymore. So almost slamming her book shut, Aria called it quits on the last of her work and went to go take a break on her bed.

Math brought out the stress in her and Aria didn't know if she could take much more of that. 'A's warnings to her didn't necessarily worry her since she knew her and Jason were great together, but the threats did give her a few ounces of fright. She didn't like to be threatened or backed into a corner.

Unsure of what to do next since Jason wasn't finished in the kitchen with all his loud banging, Aria stood on her knees against the mattress and took out a book from her shelf above. Turning the pages, she found a new blank sheet and jumped off her bed to grab a pencil. It had been a long time since she had written music and missed it immensely. As a child Aria always remembered it was a good stress reliever. She could write for hours about her feelings and passion. It was jus like her other journal she kept except this one kept a rhyming tune.

Aria wrote in her music journal numerous times when she moved to Iceland and even strummed her guitar to some of the songs she had wrote. It was something she liked to do as a hobby and not many people knew about it.

Her guitar was in the back of her closet, which is why Aria probably had a hard time finding it. After tuning some of the strings to sound like they were right, Aria began to play and fiddle around with what she was hearing. Random lyrics were written down from time to time and soon parts of it started to flow together.

Jason wasn't sure what he was hearing when he stopped banging in the kitchen to make sure all of his finishing touches were in place. There was a soft sweet melody playing from upstairs and he wondered what his girlfriend was listening to up there. Dropping his tools to go investigate, he carefully walked up the stairs and heard the soft tune of the words.

"_I'm imprisoned, I'm living a lie  
Another night of putting on a disguise  
I wanna tear it off and step in the light  
Don't you, don't you?_"

Realizing that was Aria's voice, Jason's eyes went wide and he made sure to be extra quiet when he moved to get closer.

"_So now I'm knocking at your front door  
And I'm looking for the right cure  
I'm still a little bit unsure  
'Cause I know,  
Yeah I know_"

She was playing guitar, it sounded like. To him, she sounded amazing, like an angel – or so he pictured as one. Her voice was so strong and smooth. It had that 'Aria touch' to it too – a twinge of happiness laced between the words.

"_That most people see me as ordinary  
But if you look close you'll find I'm very  
Interesting and hard to know  
You can never tell where this might go  
'Cause I'm not your average, average person  
I don't know much, but I know for certain  
That I'm just a little bit extra, extra  
I'm just a little bit extra ordinary_"

He finally got to the place where he wanted to be – leaning right against Aria's open doorframe, watching her as she played her guitar (that he still didn't even knew existed) and hear her sing her song…

* * *

"_I can see it from the spark in your eyes  
You believe in all the things you deny  
You wanna fly and leave your worries behind  
Don't you, don't you?_"

Many times Aria thought about Jason while writing all the lyrics down. Their lives had been centered around fear, and for the most part, it still was too; but here with Jason…hell, anywhere with Jason, fear couldn't get her – 'A' couldn't get her.

"_Well now I'm knocking at your front door  
And I'm looking for the right cure  
I'm still a little bit unsure  
'Cause I know,  
Yeah I know_"

And this song was not only about him. Yes for the majority of it, it was, but it also became about her too. Aria was not the girl like Ali or Hanna to always get the guy. Even Emily or Spencer seemed like a bigger catch than her. But when she was Jason, Aria never felt more special or important in her entire life.

"_That most people see me as ordinary  
But if you look close you'll find I'm very  
Interesting and hard to know  
You can never tell where this might go  
'Cause I'm not your average, average person  
I don't know much, but I know for certain  
That I'm just a little bit extra, extra  
I'm just a little bit extra ordinary_"

So as Aria finished playing, she seemed to have never felt more free. She knew it was hard to start, running into problems when she went to mesh everything together, but the more she played, the more it told a story, and to her – the more it all made began to make sense.


	12. Chapter 12

"Why didn't you tell me you could play," Jason stated, making Aria jump as she finished writing something down in a notebook. "How long have you been standing there," she asked wide eyed.

"A while," he replied with his arms crossed over his chest watching her. "So why didn't you tell me?"

"I-…I don't really tell anyone," Aria confessed, moving her guitar off her lap to put behind her. "Its not something I share."

"You should," Jason added, leaving her doorframe to come closer to her. "It was really good Ar."

"Thanks," she blushed from her bed with her hands now in her lap. "So…" she starts as there is more awkward silence, "did you finish the windows?"

"Yea, you want to go see?" he asked. Glancing up to him, she nodded. Moving off her bed, she closed her song journal and took Jason's awaiting hand to walk downstairs.

"Wow," she gasps as her kitchen comes into view. They are good as new, looking perfect – like nothing had ever happened. Giving her a smile, Jason curled Aria in his arms and kissed her head.

"Thank you," she breathed, twisting in his grasp to look at him.

"Sure," he said, reading deep into her brown pools. "Will you sing for me like that again sometime?"

A blush flamed to her cheeks and Jason knew she was very embarrassed for getting caught. And although her reaction was really cute, he couldn't understand why she hid her talent. Her voice was amazing…beautiful too and he wanted her to share it with the world – or maybe just him.

"Yea, maybe one day," she mumbled, fiddling with the collar of his shirt in the process. Bringing her face up to his with the pads of his fingers under her chin, he leaned down, slowly kissing her with love.

Aria's phone began ringing which broke them apart. This seemed to be happening way too often for both their liking. Walking over to her purse, Aria pulled out her phone seeing it was her mom calling.

"Hey mom," Aria said glancing back to Jason.

"Hey sweetie how was school today?"

"Good, nothing too eventful," she replied. "How's Mike?"

"He's…good," Ella said hesitantly.

"Has he gotten out of bed yet?" Aria wondered while biting her lip.

"Oh yea," her mother said, "He went to his therapist today and everything. It should be helping soon, it's still a bit early to tell though."

Aria looked to the ground saddened by the truth she knew of her mother's words. This they were only hoping to help Mike. With the little improvement he has been showing so far, it seemed like nothing would help her brother.

"How are you being home alone?" Ella's voice rang over the phone. "Is everything okay there? Did you need us to come home?"

Surprised by her questions, Aria glanced up to Jason who had been gazing at her this whole time. "No mom, I'm doing fine here. Everything is okay, no need to rush home."

"So if I asked you if it would be okay to stay a little bit longer than we planned…" Ella said trailing on. This put a smile to Aria's face. Her mother was a funny one.

"Then I would tell you I will pick up the rest of Mike's homework for the week and notify his teachers."

"Thank you honey," Ella said relieved over the phone. "I promise to make this up to you okay? Your father and I just think its best right now if we stay here to make sure your brother gets himself up on his feet. If you would like I can call Mrs. Marin maybe, or even Mrs. Hastings to ask them if you could stay with them? I know that house can be a little scary all alone…"

"That's okay mom," Aria said blushing when she looked back up at Jason, "I'm doing okay here. Its not as bad as I thought it was."

"Okay, well if you need anything we are here okay?"

"Sure," Aria chirped, "tell Mike I said hi okay? If he feels up to it he can call me later?"

"Okay sweetie," Ella smiled, "have a good night."

"You too mom," Aria said before hanging up.

"Mike's okay?" Jason asked stepping towards her.

"Getting there," she said forcing a smile.

"And your parents?" he wondered.

"Staying for the rest of the week. They probably wont be home till Sunday now."

"Hmm…" Jason hummed with a raised eyebrow. Giving a laugh, Aria shook her head and kissed him once again.

* * *

Her and Jason had another night together, this time at Aria's house. They ordered some Chinese take out while settling on a movie from paperview. Throughout the night Jason tried to bargain his girlfriend into actually singing for him this time, but each time Aria refused with a blush on her cheeks.

"That's the reason nobody knows I sing," Aria said to Jason as the two laid together on the couch again. It was the same position as last night but this time both of them were playing with each other's hands.

"I don't see why you have any reason to be afraid though Aria. Your voice is amazing. Anyone would be crazy to hate it."

"I'm sure there would be some people," she teased to him as he kissed her head.

"Please sing for me?" Jason said, moving her so she could see the puppy dog look he was giving her. Narrowing those beautiful eyes of hers, Aria looked weary and soon thought about giving in.

"Fine, but only if you tell me what N.A.T is and why you're in it," she blurted out. Shocked with herself, Aria quickly shut her mouth and turned to a stiff looking Jason.

"How do you know about that?" he asked her sitting up now.

"Uh…well…Spencer was packing up some of Ian's things with Toby and he was going through the yearbook and saw that Ian's name had N.A.T below it. So Spencer took a look at it, since she practically knows every club in Rosewood, and she didn't know what it was. You and Garrett had it under your names too…" she spoke softer as she continued, "I didn't know you graduated with the both of them. I mean, it didn't really occur to me."

"Yea," he said somewhat detached, "they were my friends in high school."

Eyes widening, Aria began to play closer attention.

"But wait, what does this still have to do with me?" Jason wondered.

"You were in the club," Aria supplied. "What was it?"

"Just some thing we made up," he said defensively.

"That's it," she asked with narrowed eyes, "just some club?"

"Its not that big of a deal Aria. People make up lots of clubs."

"But it doesn't exist now," Aria rebutted, "and it hasn't since your class made it up. So you really want to stick with that story?"

"Oh, so I have a story now?" Jason asked with edge. "Ask me the real question you want to ask Aria. Its obvious that you and your friends don't trust me."

"I trust you!" Aria's voice raised, getting up from the couch, "I'm the one that trusts you the most. I'm trying here Jason but your answer to your question just…doesn't give me much to go on. It was a club that you created and that's it? I don't get why? Or how? Maybe who started it? What you guys did in it?"

"It doesn't matter Aria, it was all in the past!" he said back.

"No its not Jason! It matters, more than you know!"

"Why?" he asked lowering his loud tone. Concern started to appear in his eyes and his demeanor had changed. "Why is this suddenly so important?"

Aria went quiet, unable to say a word. She couldn't explain to him that it was because there were still secrets and unanswered questions surrounding Ian. She couldn't say that because this could possibly help them figure out a piece to 'A's game. And she definitely couldn't tell him it was because she was in danger and he might be too.

"I just have to know," she settled on, calming down too. "Please Jason, tell me what the club is. I don't want to keep secrets like this."

"You and your friends really have trust issues you know that?" he asked her.

"More than you know," she muttered. Glancing to Aria, who came and sat back down next to him, he let out a breath and looked to her. "I'm guessing Spencer already found out what N.A.T stands for right?"

"We see all?" she questioned. Jason nodded.

"Us guys…we used to be friends like you and your friends are now," he started. "And we started this club called the N.A.T. Most of the time we just sat around getting high and drunk, it was nothing out of the usual. And other times…we went around and video taped people from the neighborhood."

"Like your sister… and us," Aria realized as the facts dawned on her.

"It wasn't just you guys," Jason confessed, "We went all around Rosewood. Ian was really into it."

Aria blankly stared in front of her, putting everything together. How Ali always felt like someone was watching her – that was Jason and the guys. And then the thing in her room where she blamed Toby…but wait. Why did she blame Toby? Was it because she had something on him and wanted to use it?

"Most of the time I stayed behind to do drugs or get drunk as Ian and Garrett went to go shoot some tapes. Sometimes Melissa would go along with them too, and even that Jenna girl who thought she was the shit tagged along," Jason's voice explained, making Aria stop.

"Wait what?"

"Jenna and Melissa would stop by to get high with us. Sometimes they would drink but they were more into the drugs and their two guys."

Aria opened her mouth still halted in place, "Jenna and Garrett were dating then too?"

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, thrown by the question.

Aria shook her head and put her hands up to her face. This was getting to be all too much. How long had Jenna and Garrett really been seeing each other? It was longer than the girls had suspected, that was for sure.

"Anyways, yea, they were dating at the time. I was pretty sure Jenna always had something on the side though but hell, I was the stoner kid so no one really listened to me."

_Toby_, Aria thought to herself. Jenna's stepbrother was the man on her side.

"Are you ever going to tell me what's going on?" Jason wondered as they went back to sitting in silence. "Aria, you say you don't want secrets in this relationship, but you sure seem to be keeping them…"

"It's a long story," Aria quickly replied.

"And we have time," Jason said, "lots of it."

"It's complicated," she tried again.

"I'm sure you can uncomplicated it for me," he responded again.

"Jason," Aria groaned.

"Aria, I don't get you," he huffed, "you keep asking me to tell you the truth, to not hide anything, but look what you are doing to me. We are supposed to trust each other and we obviously can't do that if this is all one sided."

Aria swallowed hard. Her one-day relationship with Jason was already starting to crumble and the words of 'A' were filling in her head.

"My friends don't trust you," Aria stated, "well, Spencer mostly."

"And?" he asked her, grabbing her tense hand.

"And that's it. Spencer is just worried for me in her own kind of way, which is freaking out usually. She takes critical analysis of everything around us and then when questions arise which may point to you knowing something and I can't shoot down…it turns ugly. So anyways, I guess I come to you to ask you about them because I can justify myself later when Spencer brings it up again," Aria shrugged.

Jason nodded, taking his turn to now blankly stare off into space. Worried about him, she turned to face Jason and inhaled deeply ready to try and explain some more things. "Look, I'm sorry Jase, I don't mean to be this crazy bitch all the time. I trust you – I do. The matter of fact is you are about one of the only ones I really do trust and feel safe with. And I'm sorry I keep putting you in these positions. From now on, I will really try to keep my sleuthing to a minimum okay? Whatever Spencer says can just go…whatever."

"What makes you trust me Aria?" Jason wondered, quite randomly if Aria did say so herself. Pausing at the odd question, she sat back a bit and stared at him. "Is there any reason not to?"

"Is there any reason you should?" he asked back.

"Well besides the fact that I'm dating you…" she trailed off confused. "Jason, you haven't done anything to break my trust, and I think you've certainly earned it. I'm not just being this way because I like you – I mean its an odd way of showing it of course but I don't know, like I said, you feel safe to me – and that counts for more than you know."

"You know you can always count on me right?" he asked her seriously then. Taking her hands in his, he faced her too. "No matter what goes on with us, I will be there to protect you Aria."

She gave a smile at that, loving the way he was so passionate about her.

"I know you're hiding something," he stared again, and this made her body turn rigid and immediately become defensive, "but," he spoke up as she went to protest, "I'll let you deal with it for now. But you need to promise me if anything happens – if you ever start getting into any real danger and that doesn't just count as the physical stuff Aria – you will come to me okay? No matter what."

Swallowing hard, Aria had to think about this. There would be no way she would ever break a promise, especially like this to Jason, but could she really up hold it?

"What if it ever puts you in danger?" she asked quietly.

"You're all that matters to me," he shrugged, "without you, what am I doing here?"

So that answered Aria's question. His happiness, the happiness of Jason DiLaurentis landed in the hands of Aria Montgomery. He was here for Aria, he was staying in Rosewood, the place of his sister's death because she was here and she was what made him happy.

"Promise me Aria," he said tugging at her hands. "Promise me."

Biting her lip, Aria continued to think. She knew if she didn't make this promise there would be more issues to deal with with Jason. He would be more than upset; he would be furious and possibly start to demand answers then. But she knew if she made this promise to him and made sure to keep it, it could also land him into a lot of trouble with 'A'. What was she going to do?

"I…yes, I promise," she settled on, letting her heart guide the way. Jason meant a lot to her. He meant so much in fact she was willing to take on more of what 'A' was dishing to her for the DiLaurentis. It was hard for Aria to admit, thinking it was still too early in the relationship to say this, but Aria loved him. She loved Jason, and if he had to be the shoulder to cry on before getting mauled by the mysterious 'A' or come close to facing death with, then so be it.

Bring it on 'A'.


	13. Chapter 13

After the big fight was finally over and the two kissed and made up, they went back to cuddling on the couch. This time some soft music was playing in the background instead of the TV and the two faced each other, openly staring into their eyes for a while.

"Will you stay the night?" Aria asked softly.

"Here?"

"No, outside," she grumbled, rolling her eyes at the stupid question. Jason gave her side a tickle, watching her giggle and squirm. "Yes! Yes! Here," she laughed out.

"Sure, I'll sleep on the couch," he smiled.

"You don't have to," she said craning her neck at him. "I do have a pretty big bed."

"Are you sure you want that?"

"Its not like we haven't shared a bed before," she chuckled again. "And, I would feel safer."

He inhaled a deep breath, his nostrils filling with Aria's scent. "Alright."

With a large pearly white smile, his girl rolled herself off from the couch and stood up with her hands out for him. Guiding him upstairs and to her room, she kissed him quickly and went to remove the stuff off her mattress.

"You know you did say that if I told you about N.A.T that you would sing me a song."

Aria froze and slowly turned around. "No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

Aria seemed frightened. "Come on Ar, it's just me," he whined.

She stayed silent so Jason walked closer to her, grabbing her by the waist. "I can't just lay on your bed with you next to me without hearing you sing."

_You've done it in my dreams,_ Aria thought to herself, mumbling the words under her breath.

"Please?" he asked again, lowering his lip this time.

Slouching a bit, she let out some inaudible words and gave in, "fine."

Smirking because he won, Jason kissed his girlfriend and walked over beside her bed to get her guitar again.

"Let me go change into some pajamas and then I'll play for you?"

Nodding he watched as she did that and got his self settled. "Ar! I have to run to my car for a change of clothes!"

"Okay," she called from her bathroom. Doing just that, Jason gave a faint laugh as he passed his way by the bathroom and outside to get some spare clothes.

Changing into some shorts and a tank top, Aria worried about singing in front of Jason. It wasn't just now that made her afraid, but ever since he had heard her. She was about to do it all over again, this time facing him. Was she nervous? Yes. Could she puke right now? Definitely yes. Deeply taking a few breaths she tried to calm her nerves before stepping back into the hall. If she was going to sing, she needed to prep and this would be the perfect time to as he was running to his car.

Aria shut off the bathroom light and padded to her room, jumping on the bed to strum her wooden instrument. Her selection of songs she had thought up was not very good. The variety consisted of maybe 3…1 of which she had already sang. Continuing a melody she went over some words in her head and settled on a song.

"Don't start without me," Jason called as he came back into view with a small duffle bag.

"Go get changed and come back in here," Aria grumbled teasingly as he smiled. Strumming her guitar, she hoped this was going to be short.

Coming back into the room faster than expected, she saw him in some flannel pants and a white tee like the one he gave her. "Lets hear it," Jason announced rubbing his hands together.

"You know, this is like serious embarrassment to your girlfriend you know."

"You'll get over it," he said kissing her head as he came to sit on the bed. "Plus, it's just me."

"Exactly," Aria muttered before taking a deep breath. [Please pretend that Aria's singing Glitter in the Air by P!nk]

When she was finished, completely exhausted and embarrassed, she looked back up to Jason who was blown away.

"Ar…" he said speechless.

"I know, I know," she rushed out, "it needs some work, but you gave me really short notice Jase and…"

"No!" he said taking the guitar from her lap and setting it on the floor. "That's not it at all. That was amazing." Bringing her closer, he kissed her forehead and untucked the sheets from below them. "Breathtaking."

"Thanks," she blushed, snuggling closer to him.

"Thank you," he said kissing her head again, "I know you didn't want to do that."

"A deal is a deal right?" she smirked slightly to him. Giving a chuckle, Jason nodded. Kissing him goodnight, he shut off the lamp on her nightstand and let her lay her head on his chest.

"Sweet dreams Ar."

"You too Jase," she sighed, as his arms came around her once more, and she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning was another great one to wake up to.

Aria had woken up first this time, remembering she hadn't set her alarm for this morning. Glancing at her clock over Jason's warm body, she saw it was only 6:45 so they still had plenty of time. Laying her head back down on his chest, she listened to his strong heartbeat and thought about the day.

Today she would most likely be facing Ezra. Now, it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but she really didn't want to see him. Her breakup with her old English teacher was one thing, but it was the way the two broke up that became another. Aria sort of left him hanging, saying it was over and then never calling back or responding to his texts. The last time she saw him was when the fiasco of a dinner party happened and he tried with everything in his might to stay – that brought shivers to Aria's skin.

Aria didn't feel comfortable with Ezra anymore. He would never be the type to get violent or go crazy over her, but he was the type to never let go without an answer, unless he was ticked, too pissed off or didn't want to find one. Neither of which in her case did this apply to Aria. Ezra wanted answers bad, Aria knew, but she didn't feel like giving them because there was nothing more to explain. She was tired of telling him in a hundred different words that they were over because she wanted more. It wasn't the answer he was looking for so he wouldn't accept it.

"I'll walk around the fair with you," Jason's voice grumbled out, as he appeared to be sleeping.

"What?" Aria asked pushing away to see his face.

"That way you don't have to face that Fitz guy alone. That's what your thinking isn't it? When you glanced at the clock and laid back down?"

"You saw all of that?" she asked a now open eyed Jason.

"I felt it," he said. "Your predictable Ar."

"Am not," she protested with a pouty face.

"Mhmm," he smiled, leaning upwards to give her a kiss. "I'll take you around today so you don't have to worry. I have to be in school today anyways."

"You don't mind?" Aria asked puling away from their kiss.

"Never," he replied before putting his lips back on hers.

So they stayed in bed a while longer before Aria hopped in the shower and Jason made them both breakfast. It was another casual morning, which Aria seemed to love waking up to (and is saying something because Aria was definitely not a morning person). Stepping out of the shower, Aria quickly got dressed and ready for the day, passing by Jason as he did his own morning routine.

"So how did you know I was thinking all of that?" Aria questioned rethinking about this morning.

"What? About your ex?" Jason asked sticking his head out the bathroom to the hall.

"Yea," she said looping an earring through her lobe as she too peaked her head out to him by the hall.

"I don't know," he shrugged retreating from her to finish getting ready, "I just know you I guess."

Aria's eyes narrowed in a playful manner. "You have super powers don't you?"

"You caught me," Jason's voice claimed as he walked out of the bathroom now dressed for the day too. "Darn Aria, can't seem to let anything slip past you."

She laughed as he took her by the waist, pulling them closer together. They were such giant fools sometime. Oh the pair of them.

"Lets go eat?" she smiled as he looked to her. Nodding, they took each other's hands, shutting lights off on the way and ate breakfast.

* * *

It was a bit startling to see Ezra and his ex fiancé Jackie working together at a table to represent Hollis college. Out of all the faculty members to be picked, these two happened to be paired with each other…

Glancing around, Ezra seemingly looked up and found Jason and Aria near each other at the entrance. Happy to see Aria, he took in her appearance and then took note of the two holding hands. _Were they together?_ He wondered. Getting his answer, he watched as the couple walked around together, still holding hands (need I might add), with happy smiles and a flow of talking laughter between them. Ezra not only felt disappointed to see this, but he also felt angry.

He and Aria should have been like her and Jason are now. He should be the one holding Aria's hand and making her laugh. That smile on her face should be because of him.

"He's staring isn't he?" Aria whispered to Jason as they went to the next table of colleges.

"Yup, just keep walking," he murmured back to her, taking a sneak peak to Aria's old teacher and ex boyfriend. He didn't like how that man was studying the two of them and gazing at Aria.

"NYU?" Jason questioned as Aria picked up a slip.

"I was thinking about becoming a writer," she shrugged, "and they happen to have a good program."

"So…you want to get out of Rosewood?" he asked her as they moved on. She shrugged again, "well for one, if I was to go into English here, around Rosewood, I would have to go to Hollis and…"

Subtly nodding over to Ezra, Jason immediately got the drift. Then for the majority of her classes, she would be having him as her teacher again – yes, that was out of the question for the two.

"I wouldn't want to leave Rosewood forever. My family is here; you're here. I wouldn't want to leave anyone behind, but its nice to just think about it."

"What about your friends?" he asked.

She picked up another flyer, this one being Penn State. "They pretty much know where they want to go. Hanna wants to apply for this fashion school in LA while Emily was thinking somewhere in Denver or a place where she could get a fresh start. As for Spencer, she wants to go Ivy League like Brownstown or Harvard."

They walked in silence this time, Aria becoming focused on all of the different colleges. "You know, I would go anywhere you would go right?" Jason said to her. He needed her to know this.

Raising an eyebrow to the large statement he just tried committing to, Aria stopped in her tracks and spun around to look at him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I will go anywhere you go," he stated again. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice.

"What about your job here?" she inquired him.

"Aria, there are a lot of kids in this messed up world. I'm sure I can find another job, from wherever you end up choosing, to work at. Plus, its not like I'm already well off. Things with the DiLaurentis business is all mine and that can go anywhere too."

"So you would really just pick up your things and leave with me?" she asked him.

"If you would want me to," he said with complete seriousness. "We went over this a little last night too Ar. You're my happiness. Why would I leave you behind? Where's life then?"

"You're seriously crazy," Aria settled on as she looked to her boyfriend. "And I'm really liking you for that."

"Good," he smiled, bending down to kiss her.

"And I bet your professor couldn't do that," he murmured against her lips as he pulled away. Blushing, Aria hit Jason lightly before taking a glance to Ezra, who seemed to be barely doing his job and staring at the two.

As the newly found couple continued to walk around, Jason's phone rang with a text. Glancing at it, he typed a quick reply and seemed hesitant.

"What?" Aria asked glancing to him. With a somewhat pained and conflicted look, Jason stayed silent.

"You can go if you need to," she spoke to him. "I'll be fine here."

"I promised you I would do this," he said. "It can wait."

"Jase," Aria said turning to him completely. "I'm fine here. We are almost done anyways. Go take care of whatever it is that you need to do."

"You sure?" he asked her, making sure to stare at her with such a gaze that it made Aria's heart flutter.

"I'll be fine," she said laying her hands on her chest. "Plus, I'm meeting Hanna, Emily and Spencer in the courtyard in a few minutes anyways. Go. You're set free."

With no hesitation on her face or in her voice, he gave in, kissing her long and hard.

"I'll make this up to you," he said taking her hands from his chest.

"You don't have to," she chuckled. "Now go." Pushing him away, he struggled with confliction a little while longer, taking a look to Fitz, who was busy talking to a student – thankfully – and walking off.

After he went out of sight, Aria laughed to herself and then looked at the next college table. "Have you ever thought about Columbia?" the man said with his college shirt on. Getting wrapped up in the talk, Aria stood there for while, never noticing Ezra stare at her.

**_A/N: Enjoyed?_**


	14. Chapter 14

When Aria was finished with all of the tables she wanted to go to – never stepping close to the Hollis table – she took her music player from her bag, stuck the earphones in her ears and went to go wait for her friends outside.

She leaned against the brick, her head down towards her music player changing the song when a hand was set on her shoulder. Jumping in surprise, she ripped the buds from her ears and saw Ezra standing in front of her with a startled look.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned breathless.

"You didn't come to the Hollis table."

"I know," Aria said glancing away, hoping her friends would be here soon, "I don't really have an interest in going to Hollis."

"Are you taking a break before college?" Ezra asked confused. Hollis was the obvious choice. Not only was he there but her father.

"No, I'm going to college, just not Hollis."

"Are you and Jason breaking up?" Ezra questioned confused. It was the only reason he could think of to why she wouldn't choose Hollis yet stay around Rosewood.

Aria shook her head and was a bit appalled. Having to answer his question and explain herself, she felt slightly angry, "no of course not! But that's none of your business. I can go to college anywhere I want and I happen to want to go somewhere other than around here…"

"Who decided that? You or Jason?" Ezra wondered with narrowed eyes. He assumed that this man, the DiLaurentis, was poisoning Aria's thoughts. Jason's reputation when he was younger was not a good one – he heard it from all over town – and it had now become his worry that they were imposing on Aria. Ezra was hoping that the love of his life was still as sweet as she used to be. Jason couldn't have warped her mind too much right?

Aria's eyebrows furrowed at Ezra's question. What was that supposed to mean? "Excuse me?"

Ezra stood there, with a hard look. There were numerous unanswered questions he had and since Aria wouldn't take any of his calls or text, he would have to ask them right now. Switching his brain to a different topic, he finally answered his dying question, "did you break up with me to be with Jason?"

"What? No," she said even more offended. Crossing her arms over her chest she began to glare at him. "Did you need something Ezra?"

His face calmed and he no longer looked defensive or impatient. "Aria, we really need to talk."

"About what?"

"Us," he spoke.

"Ezra," she sighed, "there is no us anymore, I thought you knew that," she murmured very quietly.

"Yea, I got that by the looks of you two today," he grumbled. Rolling her eyes, she continued to listen to her ex. As she did this though, Jason passed through the halls intent on sneaking to see what Aria was doing. He loved it when he could see her doing her own thing. Finding her nowhere where the college fair was going on, he assumed she was done. So he shrugged, passing the courtyard next in his path. He stopped when he saw Aria and Ezra talking. They both seemed very adamant in the hush conversation. She was obviously getting very agitated and upset while he, by the looks of it was pleading to her and making sure no one was to hear him.

"Aria?" Jason called. He knew she liked to fight her own battles and be independent, but when it came to Ezra, he couldn't help but step in.

"Hey," Aria exhaled as he stepped towards her.

"Ezra right?" Jason assumed, acting cool and nonchalant as he spoke to the teacher. God, he wanted to knock that guy off his feet. Snaking an arm around Aria's waist, he hoped to calm down.

"Jason," Ezra said tucking his hands in his pockets.

"So…is everything okay here?" Jason wondered, already obviously knowing the answer. "Yea," Aria said speaking up as she leaned into her boyfriend, "Mr. Fitz was just leaving."

With a longing look from the ex, Ezra stayed planted where he was. Opening his mouth, he went to say something but was interrupted by his partner.

"Z, there you are," she announced. "Hi, I'm Jackie," the woman said, introducing her hand out to Jason. Nodding to her, he noticed how she didn't introduce herself to Aria, or even glance at her for the matter. Wondering what that was about; he brushed it off to ask his girlfriend for another time.

"Z, come on, apparently Hollis is the school to go to." The woman gave a wink to both boys, making Aria roll her eyes.

"Yea, I'm coming Jackie," Ezra said still standing there. The woman, Jackie, doing the same made both Aria and Jason raised their eyebrows.

"It was good to see you Aria," Ezra finally settled on as he noticed Jackie wouldn't be leaving him. "Jason."

Nodding to him, he watched the two go before turning to make sure Aria was okay.

"Nice timing," she smiled to him with relief on her face.

"What did he want?" Jason questioned.

"Just the expected," Aria shrugged. Ezra was still being Ezra, the sad puppy dog that she hated to be mean to. But he wasn't getting it. Aria really liked Jason. She was close to confessing to her ex that she loved him. And even though she said that once to Ezra, when she was with Jason she felt something more too. It wasn't just love, but…passion. Everything inside her was screaming for him – the way he held her, to the way he touched her or read the emotions on her face. She just couldn't bring herself to say those three little words yet but she wanted to.

"Aria!" Hanna called to her. Walking up to the two, she gave them each a smile, this time a little more genuine than before.

"I'll be around if you need anything okay?" Jason murmured to his girlfriend.

"Sounds good," she smiled up at him. Kissing each other goodbye, they savored the last few minutes with each other. "Bye," she said breathlessly as he left.

Turning to Hanna, Aria seemed to have the biggest grin on her face.

"Ar!" Jason called to her from the school doorway. Turning again she raised an eyebrow. "Wait for me after school."

Nodding, he gave her a quick smile before walking off again. Blushing slightly now, she faced Spencer and Emily who had joined them too.

"Ar?" Hanna grinned picking up on what Jason had been calling her.

"You are in so deep," Emily claimed, smiling slightly as they sat down at a table.

"So what were you two doing in the courtyard?" Spencer asked somewhat interested.

"Jason and I walked around college fair together," Aria explained, "and then he had to leave early. So I came out here to wait for you guys when Ezra came and cornered me."

"What did he have to say?" Emily wondered while Aria shrugged. "Just that we should be together and that he can't understand why we broke up. He said he would try harder and if we got back together we could try to go public."

"And you said no?" Hanna wondered with a hint of surprise.

"I said that I liked Jason a lot and I didn't want to let him go," Aria admitted as she picked at the frayed corner of one of her books on the table. "And I tried to explain to him that what Jason and I have is more than what Ezra and I could ever be."

"Why?" Spencer wondered, "Jason's about the same age as Ezra, give or take a year or two."

"It's not just about the age Spence," Aria announced looking up at her friends. "I could care less that about how old either of them are. It doesn't matter that Ezra was my old English teacher or we dated. What matters is that, if I was to ever be with him again, I could never really be myself with him." Aria seemed to confuse herself and her friends a bit. "Ezra would always hold a part of himself back, and I think I would too."

"Plus," Aria said taking in a breath, "with Jason, …there is something about him," she smiled. "I feel something that I can't even explain you guys."

"You look…" Hanna trailed.

"In love," Emily finished incredulous.

"Maybe," Aria blushed. "I don't really know what love feels like, but if this is it then yea, I guess I am." She felt proud all of the sudden, to feel this way for Jason. For once in her life, she didn't want to fix the situation she was in. She liked being with Jason and everything he came with. Being with him was easy and simplified – Aria liked that.

"He could still be 'A'," Spencer noted.

"I really don't think he is," Aria pushed back. "Look Spence," she sighed, "we are into our first semester of our senior year now. I don't want to fight; can we please just let this go? Be happy for me – for once in my life I'm finally enjoying life."

Spencer went quiet, debating what Aria said. "Just keep an open mind okay? Just because you two are dating doesn't mean that he isn't necessarily 'A'."

Aria crinkled her face at the comments one of her best friends was making but she also had to admit, it was better than what she was expecting. "Fine, but when he's not 'A' and we will prove this, then you owe him and me a big apology," she told Spencer.

"Does Jason know about 'A'?" Emily wondered with paranoia.

"Hell no," Aria said with a deer in the headlights look. "I'm not risking his life by letting him know what's going on. What he doesn't know just this one time wont hurt him – that I know for a fact."

The bell rang, making the four friends get up from their seats.

"Aria," Spencer said before they went to part their ways, "I am happy for you, I just…I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks Spence," Aria said with a grin appearing on her lips, "that means a lot."

A head nod from both of them signaled the conversation was over and in the next moment they were off to class.

At lunch, which seemed to be more crowded than usual because of the fair going on, the girls sat together looking around.

"You guys, Maya's back," Emily stated bringing their attention together.

"What?" they all shouted turning to Emily.

"She texted me during third period saying she was back and wanted us to get together. What do I say?"

"Well how do you feel?" Aria blurted.

"I don't know, I still like Samara. I'm really trying to gain her trust back from what 'A' made me do, but I don't know if she wants me back."

The girls all felt sympathetic for Emily. She really had been working to be closer to Samara ever since 'A' went to ruin her relationship with the girl but nothing had really seemed to be working. Samara had started to put Emily as a back burner on her life.

"Did Maya say why she was back?" Hanna wondered.

"Or where she was living?" Spencer wondered.

"I don't know," Emily sighed, "I didn't really ask her much considering…and I wasn't sure if I should even be talking to her. She was the one to kind of just break up with me, you guys."

"True," Aria admitted. Taking a glance around, her eyes caught Jason who seemed to be talking to a kid very animatedly. Staring hopelessly at him, enjoying the way she could see his passion for the people here, she was brought out of her daydream by Spencer hitting her arm.

"Hey!" Aria protested.

"Tuning back into the world now," Spencer spoke while turning to see what exactly she was staring at "…and not making oogly eyes at your boyfriend," she said rolling her own.

"You would be doing it too if Toby were here," Aria muttered.

"Whatever," Spencer brushed off.

"Where is he today anyways?" Aria asked looking around.

"Who knows, probably with the evil bitch. He hasn't texted me back yet today," Spencer sighed.

It was considered true since Toby never really answered any texts or calls when he was walking his dictator of a sister around anyways. Jenna apparently required his full attention – and would take a hissy fit when he didn't give it to her.

"You guys, what do I do?" Emily asked again, this time more forceful.

"I would tell Samara," Aria suggested. "Let her know that Maya contacted you but you wanted to know what she thought first. That way Samara sees she's more important in your life than Maya."

"Wow, when did you become Dr. Phil?" Hanna asked.

"Since she's in love," Spencer said which left Aria to wonder if her tone was joking, trying to be sarcastic, or truthful.

"I would do the same as Aria," Hanna said. "What else do you have to lose Em? That way you know if Samara is really into you or not."

Spencer went to put in her input too this time and Aria zoned out again. Eyes drifting back to Jason, she noticed him still talking to the same kid yet glancing to her. With a blush, she waved back as he held up his hand to her.

"Why do you think we haven't gotten any 'A' texts recently?" Hanna wondered.

"Aria," Spencer commanded, snapping her fingers in Aria's face. Shoving them away, Aria rolled her eyes and jumped back into the conversation. "What?"

"'A'? No texts recently…" Hanna repeated.

"I don't know," Aria shrugged, "maybe we haven't been doing anything that 'A' disproves of lately."

"Or maybe 'A' has bigger plans," Spencer cut in. "Lets not forget about the hockey stick, Garrett, Ian, Jenna, or anything else for that matter."

"This hurts my head," Hanna sighed.

"This hurts my stomach," Emily queased, slouching down in her seat.

* * *

Lunch was over before it really even began and by the time the girls had another chance to catch their breath, it was after school. Saying goodbye to each other, they shut their lockers and all went their own way – Aria in particular going to meet Jason.

"Hey handsome," she called as he was leaning against his car that he drove them to school in.

"Hey," he smirked, coming over to her to wrap his arms around her frame. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Not too bad," she grinned, letting her eyes flutter closed as he kissed her. God, Jason felt like he was in some high school movie – showing a ton of PDA in the parking lot after waiting by his car for his girl to meet him. It was like a classic chick flick. Pulling away, Jason opened the passenger side door for her and let her get in.

"So I have something to show you," he claimed as he drove them.

"What?" Aria smirked.

"You'll have to wait – it's a surprise," he stated, glancing over to her to see her beautiful face.

"Do I get a hint?" she asked playfully.

"It will give it away," he claimed again. Pulling into the town's small café he quickly parked and showed Aria to a seat at the table. "Wait here," he instructed.

"Jason, wait," she claimed, trying to understand what he was doing.

"Just wait here, I'll be right back." Giving her a quick kiss to the head, he left the café and ran back to his car. Popping the trunk, he took out four large frames, holding pictures of a sleeping Aria. Smiling to himself, he shut the truck, locked his car again and walked back to her.

"What's that?" she asked when he immediately came into view.

"Your pictures," he said sitting down beside her, "I finished them."

Surprised, she edged closer to him so she could see. Laying them flat on the table, the two looked at what Ali had done. They were beautiful shots of Aria. She looked peaceful and almost perfect.

"Wow, I must have had a really good hair day that time," Aria stated.

Jason gave a chuckle, not expecting to hear those girly words from her mouth.

"I still can't believe Ali took these," Aria said touching the glass. "They look really good."

"Maybe she had a hidden talent," Jason shrugged.

Aria laughed a bit at that, raising an eyebrow slightly. "If Ali had a talent, she would show it off, especially for something like this."

Smiling a bit, Jason knew Aria was right. His sister was always the girl to flaunt things and show herself off. If she could do this, he was sure everyone would know about it.

"Was there anything else you found?" Aria wondered while staring at the pictures. Ali's hidden talent puzzled her. It didn't seem anything like her dead best friend to do this type of thing and she questioned in the slightest if it wasn't Ali who had really taken these. For all Aria knew, Ali could have found this roll of film and hidden it – not knowing exactly what was on here. Or maybe it was 'A's doing. Maybe 'A' had taken these pictures and Jason just thought it was Ali's.

"Just a box of girl things," he shrugged. "Nothing really special like this. You can check it out if you want. The box is back at the house."

"Really?" Aria asked feeling that rush of curiosity. Maybe something else would be in that box that Jason didn't see. Maybe it would lead them closer to who 'A' is…

Jason watched her closely. There was something on his face he wasn't sure of. It was like a light bulb had clicked in her head – but why? "Yea Ar, you're always welcome there."

"Can we go now?" she asked already getting ready to get back up.

"Did you want to grab something to eat first?" he wondered, bewildered by her excitement and rush to get to his house.

"Oh…yea, right," she chuckled embarrassedly. _Slow it down Aria_, she thought to herself. Eating a nice meal and spending time with her boyfriend, they had a decent time before going back to his house. Jason was still curious as to why Aria was so anxious to get there. She seemed to want to see the box badly and he couldn't figure out what made her want to. Whenever either of them brought up Ali most of the time, they would get uneasiness about it or try to talk about something else.

Getting out from the car, Aria and Jason went into the old DiLaurentis house and grabbed the box. He watched as she went through each trinket, analyzing it closely.

"Was there something particular you hoped to find in here?" Jason asked her carefully.

"No, just…anything really," Aria replied focused on a small stuffed teddy of his sisters. Hearing her phone ring, Aria dug through her purse to grab it. "What's up Spence?"

Jason couldn't hear the soft murmuring of his half sister, but he watched Aria's face change from a calm demeanor to a frigid one and knew something was wrong.

"Are you sure?" she asked panicked.

Jason was at full attention now, noticing his girlfriends voice turn authoritative. "Okay, I'm at Jason's so I'll be right over…"

Spencer must have said something because Aria shook her head and stuck to her words. "What? No I'm sure, I'll drive you."

Shutting her phone, Aria let out a breath and took a second to herself. "Spencer needs me right now. Can I take this?"

Holding the box in her hands, he gave a nod. "Is everything okay?"

"Toby fell off the scaffold," she murmured. "Mrs. Hastings found him this afternoon. I'm going to drive Spencer to the hospital to see him."

"What about your car?" Jason said on alert. He had been driving Aria around the whole day. Was she going to walk back to her house alone? "Did you want me to drive you girls?"

"Thanks but we'll be okay," Aria said guarded, "Spencer just wants to get there and I want to make sure she doesn't get into an accident. I'll call you later okay?"

Not being able to do anything but nod, Aria gave him a quick kiss before taking the box and his heart with her.


	15. Chapter 15

She rushed to the Hastings' house, already seeing Spencer pace behind her running car.

"What the heck happened?" Aria asked wide eyed to her friend.

"It's all my fault Aria. The scaffold fell apart because I'm with him. 'A' did this to teach me a lesson. He got hurt because of me," she babbled. "If I hadn't started dating him he would have been in any danger. He fell over 8 feet Aria! This is because of me!"

"Okay, slow down," Aria commanded, gripping Spencer's forearms. "Tell me again what happened."

"Toby must have came over here to take down the scaffold before school. 'A' must have tampered with it, loosening a screw or something to make the thing tip over. Toby was on it at the time when it gave way. Aria, 'A' must have known that. She's trying to hurt Toby…"

"Spence, just continue the story," Aria commanded to the distraught girl.

"My mom came home on her lunch break to get something she forgot in the house. When she pulled up she saw him lying unconscious under the scaffold. She ran called 9-1-1 then stayed with him till she knew he was okay."

Aria was puzzled. "Why didn't she call you?"

"She didn't want me to worry," Spencer claimed with tears running down her cheeks. "And apparently I missed enough school," she snapped. "My mom told me when I got home from practice. Aria, this is all my fault."

"Okay," Aria breathed, "Spence, this isn't your fault. Right now Toby needs you, so lets go see him okay? I'm sure he's been wanting to see you too. 'A' did this – not you. We are going to get whoever it is okay? I promise."

"Yea," she sniffled. "Thanks."

Nodding, Aria took the keys from her best friend's hands and got into the car. Reversing out of the driveway, Aria drove the two to the hospital.

* * *

They made it with Spencer still distraught and looking for Toby. Reaching his room, Spencer immediately ran over and hugged him. Giving the two some time together, Aria waved to Toby and then waited outside the room. She dialed Emily and Hanna, telling them to get over here, and then texted Jason saying everything was okay. During the car ride, (to get Spencer's mind off of Toby) Aria had explained to Spencer what Jason had found. She told her about the box, along with what was inside, giving her friend hope of finding more evidence to who 'A' is.

"Is he okay?" Emily rushed towards Aria.

"What happened?" Hanna wondered.

"He's okay," Aria nodded, "just badly bruised I think. Spencer is in with him right now, I figured they could use some alone time."

"And Spencer thinks this is 'A's doing?" Emily asked.

Aria nodded sadly, thinking back over to the car ride with the girl. "She knows it is; 'A' texted her saying 'Almost got him. Toby wont be so lucky next time'".

"So now 'A' is going after our relationships?" Hanna claimed worried.

Emily seemed to be the only one with a clear and logic head. "That doesn't make any sense you guys. 'A' was just warning Aria to be careful with Jason. Why not go after him then?"

"Maybe 'A' changed his or her mind," Hanna said sitting down now. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Aria sighed. She felt a twinge of sickness wash over her when they brought up Jason getting hurt because of 'A'. "You guys, I found some more of Ali's things." Explaining the whole situation, both Hanna and Emily listened carefully.

"So now we have an injured boyfriend and a box of our dead best friend's things," Hanna groaned.

"You guys, I still don't understand why Toby was hurt by 'A'. It just doesn't make any sense," Emily noted.

"I think Toby got too close to the situation," Spencer said coming out from his room. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked broken. "I didn't exactly tell him about 'A' but there were things I shared and he got involved with. If you think about it, it's perfect really. Toby was there with me when we found about N.A.T. and he was the one that found the stick. 'A' wanted him out of the way because he was so involved and what better way to do it than to hurt him?"

"Great," Hanna groaned.

"But why not just hurt you?" Aria questioned.

"Because it would defeat the purpose," Spencer said. "Hurting me would only raise more questions and feed his curiosity further. He would want to know who did this and what happened to me. The only way to get Toby to stop digging would be for me to break up with him. It cuts all ties from 'A' and breaks my heart killing two birds with one stone."

"You're not going to though right?" Aria almost begged for clarification, "You're not going to break up with him."

Spencer went silent along with the other girls. She was considering it for Toby's sake.

"But he is okay? Physically I mean." Emily was really concerned. She had been Toby's friend before any of the other girls' and it was fact that slipped the their minds.

"A few bruised ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion. They want to keep him over night for observation," Spencer stated.

"Sorry Spence," Hanna said gloomily.

"Just…I can't believe this happened," Spencer said deflated. Making room for her on the waiting room seats, she sat down and silently moped to herself.

"I think I need to break up with him you guys," she stated.

"You can't kick him while he's already down," Hanna protested.

"Is that really wise?" Aria asked feeling sick.

"This happened because of me," Spencer stated, "'A' wanted to get her point across and well…she did. I'm listening."

Emily didn't seem to like the situation. Crossing her arms, she stayed standing. "What are you going to tell him?"

"Anything I have to," Spencer said quietly. "He's better off without me right now."

"Maybe you need to step back and think about this," Aria suggested with a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"And wait for 'A' to make another move? I can't," she sniffled.

The girls all sighed. The situation seemed impossible. Aria's phone rang, making her dig through her purse again to get it. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was her mom. "I have to take this – it's my mom."

Nodding, the girls watched her as she stood up and walked away to take the call.

"Hey mom," Aria said in the speaker.

"Hey sweetie how was your day?"

"It was okay," Aria said sadly. The hospital speaker came on, announcing something, which made Aria cover her ear to hear her mother.

"Aria, are you in a hospital?" her mother panicked.

"What? No, I mean yes. But wait!" she protested before her mother could rush home. "Its not for me. Toby, Spencer's boyfriend, fell off a scaffold at the Hastings's house this morning and he was admitted into the hospital. We are all here just visiting him."

"Oh," she said with relief, "is he alright?"

"A little beat up but he's okay."

"Thank god," Ella sighed. "Is everything else okay? The house still in one piece?"

Aria chuckled, "Yea mom, everything is fine. How is Mike?"

"A lot better," Ella boasted. "He's up and talking today. I think the therapy is really working. We were actually thinking about coming home when we first planned; that way we get Mike set up to a therapist in Rosewood before he has to go back to school. There really is no reason for us stay here and not be home."

"Oh good," Aria forcefully smiled. Although she was happy her brother was doing better, she wasn't sure if she wanted her parents to come back the day after tomorrow. Talking for a while longer, Aria decided she had to get back and ended her conversation with her mother. Saying their goodbyes, Aria shut her phone and walked back to her friends.

"It's done," Spencer said coming back out of the room with tears rolling down her cheeks. All four of them could hear Toby yelling for her.

"I'll drive her home," Hanna suggested. Nodding, Aria handed over the keys and hugged the two goodbye.

"Will you guys sleepover tonight? I really don't want to be alone," Spencer said turning around to look at Aria and Emily.

"Sure," The two nodded. Hanna, who's arm was still wrapped around Spencer guided her carefully to the elevator, waving goodbye.

"I'm going to go see him," Emily spoke to Aria. "You don't have to wait up."

"I don't mind," Aria shrugged, "plus, I drove Spencer here with her car so I don't have a ride."

Emily stifled a laugh before getting serious again. "Alright, I'll be right out."

"Take your time," Aria called softly as Emily went to walk in the room. Toby's calls for Spencer made Aria want to curl up in a ball and cry. He sounded so heartbroken and lost – exactly how her friend was feeling. If only he knew the reason as to why. Lying back against the seat, Aria let her thoughts take her for a while.

"Ar," someone called.

"Jason?" Aria wondered in surprise. Sitting up, she saw him walking towards her with a concerned look.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You weren't picking up my calls," Jason said which made Aria want to smack herself. While on the phone with her mother Jason had been kept trying to call. "Yea, sorry about that," Aria explained. "I was getting an update from my mom about Mike."

"He's okay?" Jason wondered.

"Doing better," Aria smiled. "But anyways, you came here because I wasn't picking up?"

"That, and because I was really worried. I saw Hanna walking Spencer back into her house. Why was Spencer in hysterics?"

Aria's eyes dropped. "It's a really long story."

"Did something happen?" Jason prodded.

"Yea," Aria admitted. Laying her head against Jason, Aria seeked comfort. Was Jason next then? Was she going to have to break up with him too?

Watching her, Jason felt this dark cloud come over him. "Ar, you're worrying me."

Opening her mouth to speak, both were startled when Emily came out from Toby's room. She too looked clearly distressed and had tears running down her cheeks.

"What happened?' Aria said jumping up.

"Nothing," Emily said waving her off. "Lets just go." Taking note of Jason, Emily gave a small smile to him. "I'll wait for you in the car," she murmured. Walking past the two, Emily hit the elevator button and kept to herself.

"Okay, something is definitely going on," Jason stated. "What happened?"

The questions that arose made Emily look back to Aria. Knowing what she was thinking, Aria glanced away from her boyfriend. She couldn't say anything to him…she wouldn't.

"Can we not do this tonight?" Aria asked hoping he could forget about it for a while. "I just…can't."

"Aria," Jason pushed.

"Please Jase," she begged, "I can't do this tonight."

"You'll tell me later?" he asked her, getting up to hug her. She gave the smallest of nods, still not looking at him.

"Promise?" he prodded. Wincing, she stayed silent, not moving an inch. If she promised this, she would have to stick to it and she couldn't.

Moving on to a different topic, hopefully throwing him off base, she began to ramble. "I'm going to spend the night at Spencer's tonight okay? She really needs us right now and doesn't want to be alone. I'll pick up a bag from my place; probably swing by there in the morning if I have time but if not then I can figure it out…"

"Aria," Jason said trying to get her to stop.

She began to think out loud some more. "You know what, I'll just get ready at Spencer's in the morning. We usually do that anyways. It shouldn't be too bad, we can wake up early if needed."

"Aria," Jason said patiently trying again. "Emily's probably waiting for me," she claimed.

"Hey," Jason called going to take her in his arms as she left him to grab her bag from the seat. Slipping from his grasp, she turned around and gave him a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later."

With that, she left him standing there, quickly walking away and taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.

* * *

The girls had their usual night except for this sleepover most of the time consisted of comforting Spencer. She hated her decision, it was ripping the poor girl's hear apart. 'A' not only got what he/she wanted but had also successfully injured someone dear to them. They went to bed late that night, Aria ignoring many of the calls and texts from Jason as they went over what to do about 'A'. Things were just getting more terrible by the second.

Coffee was made early in the morning by Spencer, who looked like she hadn't slept a wink. Drinking her strong coffee, each of the girls got ready for their day, still worried about Spencer.

"Morning girls," Mrs. Hastings smiled as she came into the kitchen.

"Morning," they all chirped.

"Aria, it was good to see your mom and Mike. He looks a lot better," Mrs. Hastings noted.

"I'm sorry, what?" Aria asked.

"You didn't know?" The woman wondered, "Your family is back from New Jersey. I saw them run into the coffee shop before going home."

"Oh," Aria said shocked.

"Don't worry, I told your mother you were here; she figured as much," Mrs. Hastings said getting on with her day. "See you girls later." Kissing her daughter, the mother left the house for work.

"Well, then I should get home and say hi to them before school," Aria said picking up her things.

"I thought they weren't getting home until tomorrow," Emily said puzzled.

"They weren't," Aria announced. "I'll see you guys at school."

Waving to the three of them, Aria left Spencer's completely stressed. For once, it didn't help either that Jason was outside working on his landscaping. Seeing her walk down the street in her own world made him stop her.

"You okay?" he asked stepping in her path.

"Oh, hey," she smiled.

"You look…dazed," he noted.

"Tired," Aria declared, "and a little overcaffinated thanks to Spencer's coffee."

"Where are you off to?" Jason wondered. She was walking alone with her stuff in her hand leaving Spencer's. He knew for a fact she didn't have her car here, so was she going to get it? Why wouldn't the girls just drive her to school?

"My place," Aria said tilting her head to look at him. "My parents and Mike came back today I guess."

"Oh," Jason exclaimed surprised. "I thought they were going to be gone the whole week?"

"My mom talked about coming back early last night, so I thought they would probably be home tomorrow but I guess Mrs. Hastings saw them today stopping for coffee before heading home."

They went silent each lost in their own thoughts. Jason was slightly bummed to have her family home just because he liked the time he got to spend with Aria, watching her sleep at night and cuddling with her. And for Aria, she was bummed her parents came home because it seemed like a busy time. She had Jason on her plate, along with the worries about him because of 'A', and also Spencer. Aria knew her mom would be asking questions about Toby along with why Spencer was now upset and she had to spend time there.

"Did you want me to walk you?" Jason asked suddenly. If this was going to be his last time for questions and to see Aria for the day, he wanted it to last as long as possible.

"Sure," she said quietly, still partly somewhere else.

Throwing down his work gloves and grabbing a shirt, he walked back up to her and drew her body in his arms. She seemed surprised by the gesture at first, but quickly settled into him.

"I missed you," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"I missed you too," he mumbled, kissing her head lightly. "How was Spencer's?"

"Long – full of girly nonsense I'm sure you don't want to hear about." Aria tried to put on a teasing face but she couldn't seem to lay it on good enough.

"Spencer still upset?"

"Yea," Aria sighed, following him as they walked together. Jason still didn't know why his half sister was quite upset but he assumed that Spencer had broken up with Toby. A reason was still needed though.

"Are you okay?" Jason pressed again. His girlfriend seemed to be in the dumps and her answer when he asked her before didn't comfort him in the slightest.

"Can we tell my parents about us?" Aria asked him suddenly. "I just-…I want them to know I'm dating you."

"Sure," he said surprised by the sudden request. "Did you want to tell them today?"

"Would it be okay with you?" she wondered. There was no hidden agenda under this request. Instead, it was just pure desire. Aria wanted her parents to know she was involved with Jason because she liked him. He was her world – or a big part of it at least.

"You don't want to spend time with your family first?" he asked her. Getting close to the Montgomery household, Jason stopped the two of them and laid a long kiss on Aria's lips. "Why don't you go in there and spend some time with all of them before school and after, when you get out, we can tell them."

"Yea?" she asked, bubbling with happiness. She peered to be the Aria he knew again and he loved that with a simple kiss he could bring that back.

"I'll be there if you are," he told her. Chuckling, Aria nodded and kissed him once again. "Okay."

So he watched her walk into her house, lusting after her. How could one girl affect him so powerfully? She was like the center of his universe. She was the oxygen to his blood and without her…well, there wasn't going to be a 'without her'. Aria was better than any high could give him and he promised to never lose her.

* * *

"Aria," Ella said surprised. The three family members were sitting at the table talking.

"Mike!" Aria brightened, dropping her things as he came and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused," he spoke as he let go of her.

"You are so forgiven. Its good to see you talking," she smiled to her little brother.

"So what brings you home?" her father asked Aria.

"Just came to see you guys," she shrugged. "Mrs. Hastings brought up that you guys were back. I thought you were going to leave tomorrow?"

"We were," Ella spoke up, "but then after hearing your voice we really missed you and Mike wanted to come home too."

"Good," she smiled to her family. "I have to go get changed but Mike, a ride to school?"

"Sure," he said with a small smile. Grabbing her things again, Aria went upstairs and got ready for the day.

**_A/N: Thanks for the reviews!_**


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/N: double chapters for y'all!_**

It turned into an uplifted day, for a while anyways. After school Aria hung around to wait for Mike who was getting all of his make up work, when Jason ended up catching her in the halls. He came in sometime after lunch Aria guessed and she felt beyond happy to see him. Everything of Spencer's ordeal was washed away after seeing him. They hugged and kissed in the hallway after school, and while waiting for Mike they talked amongst themselves.

"You guys are dating?" Mike announced wide-eyed as he saw his sister kiss the DiLaurentis when he walked out of one of his classrooms.

"Mike!" Aria said quickly pulling away from their lip lock. "I can explain this." Jason was a bit baffled by the way she pulled away from him. It was one thing to stop kissing him but another to actually back away from him. It was usual for her. Didn't Aria want to tell her family about them? Why did she pull away?

"You really have a thing for faculty members here," Mike stated. Aria went wide-eyed, glaring at her brother like she was ready to hit him.

Jason was surprised again. "He knew about Fitz?"

She shook her head and intensely stared at the kid. "He found out somehow."

"Well, I'm happy for you guys," Mike shrugged going back to the topic in front of them – literally. Aria seemed to soften at that and smiled back at Jason. "Just don't go around sucking each other's face off when I'm around okay?" he asked teasingly.

Shaking her head, Aria gave her brother a shove as they walked in step with each other. Jason grabbed her hand, which made Aria look down. Raising an eyebrow, Jason gave a look back to her. _Problem?_ He thought. Watching her smirk then, his worries were washed away.

"Yea, that right there is enough PDA for me," the teen declared.

"Shut up Mike," Aria chuckled.

* * *

The three of them went back to the Montgomery household. Ella was home, but not Byron yet. Walking inside, Mike went first setting his things down on the counter top.

"So how was it?" She asked her son.

"I have a lot to do," he announced.

"Oh, Jason," Ella said surprised when she looked to her daughter.

"Aria…" she stated staring at the two more finely after seeing their hands together.

"Mom, Jason and I are sort of together now."

"Sort of?" she challenged.

"We are." Jason mended.

"I see," Ella announced in shock.

"Mom, you saw this coming," Mike interjected. Aria raised an eyebrow at that and turned to her mother again.

"Thanks Mike," Ella muttered to her son.

"Just being truthful like the therapist suggested," he grinned, taking his things and going upstairs. Shaking her head, Ella laughed before turning to the couple. "So how long has this been going on?"

Both Jason and Aria looked at each other. "Not too long, I guess," Aria stated.

"If its okay with you Mrs. Montgomery, I would like to take Aria on a date tonight," Jason spoke up. Surprising both the women, Aria looked up to her boyfriend while Ella looked to her daughter. "Don't ask me, I didn't have any idea about this," she told her mother.

"That's fine with me," Ella told Jason, "have her back by midnight. And Jason, you can still call me by my first name."

"Thanks…Ella," Jason smiled. Aria shook her head, trying to hide the grin that was spreading across her face.

* * *

Jason ended up going home, telling Aria he would see her at 7 for dinner and a movie. Quickly getting her homework done, Aria danced around her room getting ready.

"So you really like him huh?" Ella said in Aria's doorway watching her hold up different shirts to her chest.

"Yea," Aria beamed. "I do."

"Why didn't you tell me about this when I talked to you on the phone?" Ella wondered, coming to sit on her daughter's bed. Aria shrugged, still focused on clothes. "It was still kind of new."

"And it isn't now?"

"It is," Aria claimed, "but it's different. It doesn't feel as new. It feels…"

"Everlasting?" her mother guessed.

"Yea, everlasting," Aria smiled.

"You seem…dare I say it, in love," Ella smiled.

"I don't think either of us are ready to say that," Aria told her mother, setting down a shirt, "but I'd like to think so."

"Well have fun tonight," Mrs. Montgomery smiled to her daughter, "and where the pink shirt."

Holding it up again, Aria glanced at herself in the mirror as her mom left.

* * *

Byron was informed of her daughter dating Jason DiLaurentis and going on a date with him all at the same time as she walked down the stairs when the doorbell rang. Greeting Jason, Byron tried to keep up as that original father figure image by giving the older man a speech.

"Just let her go Byron," Ella smiled to the couple. Not only was her father embarrassing both women, but it was more horrifying for Aria.

"See you guys later," Aria said grabbing her purse and dragging Jason out her house.

"I am so sorry," was the first thing she said after they escaped the Montgomery household.

"Its fine Aria," Jason laughed. "I can handle a father to boyfriend speech once in a while. He just wants to make sure I don't hurt his little girl."

Rolling her eyes, the two walked to Jason's car and got in.

"So what are the plans for tonight?" Aria asked curiously.

"Sorry, can't tell," he said with a sneaky smirk.

"Oh come on," she whined.

Jason enjoyed watching her try and pull off a puppy face. Although it was cute and tempting, he wasn't going to give in. "You'll just have to see Ms. Montgomery."

The night was planned perfectly. He first drove them to a small restaurant downtown for dinner, took her to a movie, and lastly – soon to be her favorite – they went to some astronomy museum, where they had a room that looked like the midnight sky. The stars shined brightly as they laid back in their seats and watched the time go by.

Aria was in awe when she saw the room. "I didn't even know this place existed."

"Not many people do," Jason commented as they sat back to enjoy the view. His attention was fully on Aria, who was still marveling at how real the projection of the sky was. Touching her face, her head turned to look at him. Staring at each other for a while, the two finally kissed.

"It's getting late," Jason murmured. "I have to take you back."

Disappointed, Aria faced the stars one last time before leaving with him.

"So how was the date?" Ella pried after her daughter came home.

"Amazing," Aria smiled setting down her things.

"What did you two do?" Byron wondered as he came down the stairs.

"Out to eat, to a movie and we went to some astronomy museum. Did you know we had that? They have this place where you can look at all the stars so we did that," she smiled dreamily.

Ella smirked to Byron seeing how in love her daughter was. "Very cool sweetie, you should get up to bed though."

"All right, goodnight," Aria smiled to her parents. For the rest of the night, she was on cloud nine dreaming of a certain boy and his charm. She couldn't wait for tomorrow and what would go on then…

* * *

It had been a week now and Jason took her on another date. This one was more last minute than the last, deciding to meet at Lucky Leon's for some dessert where they could sit and eat it out by the park. They bought cupcakes, some pie, and even a few cookies together. Holding each other as they walked, they each talked about their days and what had been going on from the busy week. Aria had still been dealing with 'A', along with Spencer which had kept her busy, while Jason had a plate full of challenging kids and some house work.

Sitting down on miniature merry go round, they pulled out their food and began eating. The night was relaxing for the two. Their company always brought out the best in them. Eating tons and leaving a few crumbs, they laid back for a little while to let their food settle. As impatience set in, Jason finally got Aria up from her place and pushed her on a swing.

Time passed too quickly for the either of them. A few more minutes of walking around the park, they began heading home – Jason walking Aria back.

"This week has been crazy," Aria stated.

"Tell me about it," Jason sighed. "We need to make more time for each other."

Swinging their hands between each other, Aria stayed next to Jason thinking. "So how's Mike?" her boyfriend wondered.

"A lot better," Aria smiled to Jason, "he's like him old self again. I don't know what person they took Mike to in New Jersey but it definitely helped."

"That's good," Jason said. "I'm glad he's back to the good side."

"You and me both," Aria stated. Chatting a while longer, the two landed on the Montgomery doorstep fairly quickly.

"See you tomorrow?" Aria wondered. Kissing her softly, Jason gave a sullen look. "I'll be at the center all day tomorrow." Sighing, Aria felt tomorrow's day already get a bit worse.

"I'll text you though okay?" he suggested. They seemed to be texting quite often when they didn't see each other. It took both their heartaches away but neither would admit it.

"Promise?" Aria asked, dragging out the long goodbye.

Smiling, Jason kissed her again. "Absolutely."

* * *

Spencer was still a wreck from her breakup with Toby. Even after about a week and a half now she was moping around and slacking in school. All she wanted was him yet couldn't. 'A' had made it clear that he could no longer be involved with Spencer or he would get hurt again and she didn't want to take that risk.

"You guys, we have to do something," Hanna murmured to Emily and Aria as the three watched Spencer grab things from her locker. "She's like walking death."

"What are we supposed to do?" Aria asked peering at her friend too.

"Obviously a girl's night doesn't work," Emily noted. They had spent two nights with Spencer already, trying to cheer her up with no luck.

"We have to do something," Hanna repeated looking at her pathetic friend.

"Hey guys," Spencer grumbled walking up to them.

"Hey Spence," Aria smiled.

"How's your day been?" Hanna spoke up.

"Long," Spencer muttered. It was just after 3rd period and the girl was ready to go home.

"You know, maybe we need to get out," Emily suggested.

"Where?" the three wondered.

"I don't know," Emily said now alert that they were staring at her.

"I have an idea," Aria suggested. "There is a small club downtown, it has karaoke night and drinks. It's a nice little club scene. Totally casual and chill." Jason had brought her there once, not that Aria was about to admit it. It was one of their dates he took her on, trying to show her one day if she got over her freight of singing in front of people she could be up there herself.

"Sounds perfect!" Hanna said in cheeriness.

"I'm up for it," Emily shrugged.

"I guess," Spencer sighed.

"Yea, we are definitely going," Hanna said with a pointed look.

So that night, after school was over, they had the night to themselves. Declaring a sleepover again, still at Spencer's, they all got ready to go out.

"So where is this place exactly?" Emily asked, as they all piled into her car.

"Downtown, just drive there and I'll point it out," Aria said popping her head forward as she sat in the backseat. As the night passed and they listened to some jams in the car, Spencer began to loosen up and let Toby slip from her mind.

By the time the four got to the club and seated at a table, Spencer was back to her old self. "Wow, this place looks awesome," she noted.

"Yea, it's a cool little place," Aria smiled. Glancing to the stage, she found that they came on open mic night.

"You guys, we should go up and sing," Spencer suggested.

"Oh no," Aria quickly protested on her and her friends behalf.

"Please?" Spencer said giving them lip, "it will make me feel better."

Narrowing their eyes at her, she shrugged, "oh please, you guys make it too easy when you talk amongst yourselves. It was a nice thought though, and it is helping me."

Her demeanor changed near the end and the girls felt a little better. "Now will you all please go up there with me?" she begged.

"Fine," Emily spoke with an eye roll.

"Emily!" both Hanna and Aria protested.

"Come on you guys," she told them standing up.

"Ugh fine!" Hanna gave.

"What? No Han!" Aria said panicked.

"Lets go Aria," Hanna said dragging her up from her seat and to the stage where Spencer was already waiting. Animal by Neon Trees was picked for them and Aria was completely terrified.

"Aria, what's wrong with you? Its just karaoke," Hanna said nudging her lightly. Inhaling deeply, Aria plastered on a smile trying not to show fear. Spencer passed them each a mic, waiting for the song to come on. As the beat went through the speakers, they each began to sing in sync and Aria felt a little better. By the middle of the song, Aria had been belting out the words with her friends while the crowd cheered and at the end, she felt completely relieved.

"That was totally awesome you guys!" Spencer announced as they walked off stage.

"That was the most fun I've had in a while," Emily agreed.

"Are we about ready to leave?" Hanna asked checking the time.

"Sure, let's just grab our stuff," Aria smiled. The four headed back to their tables, grabbing their purses and bags when a waitress came up to them. "Miss?"

"Yea?" Aria said as the girl stood in front of her.

"This is for you," she told her, handing Aria a napkin. Puzzled she thanked the woman and read what the napkin said.

**Stage freight no more? Would you look at that? I'm sure your boy will be proud. – A **

Aria froze, rereading the note over and over. The only way that 'A' would be able to know she had stage freight was if she had been watching her and Jason. And not only that, but 'A' had to be in the club to see them singing tonight.

Immediately glancing all around, Aria and her friends couldn't seem to find anyone out of place.

"Miss!" Aria said running to track down the waitress that handed her this. "Who gave this to you?"

"Some person over there," the girl said pointing to the now empty booth in the back.

"Was it a he? Or a she maybe?" Spencer asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't really remember. A she maybe? It could have been a he though, the person was sitting in the corner where it was dark."

Sighing again, they thanked the woman and groaned. 'A' had been so close to them and they didn't even notice. Packing the rest of their stuff, Emily drove them back to Spencer's where all went quiet.

"I'm going to go call Jason," Aria murmured quietly as it got later and later into the night.

"Just go over there," Hanna said as Spencer was already sleeping. "I know you think of him as safety and after today we all need it. Just go, if Spencer wakes I'll text you."

Instead of fighting on it like Aria usually would, she nodded and stood up. "Thanks Han."

Walking over to Jason's was easy considering he lived right next door. The lights to the front porch on signaling he was home which made Aria happy. She really needed to see him right now, especially after feeling so scared and insecure.

Knocking on the door in her tiny shorts and tank top, she waited for him to answer.

"Aria?" he questioned half awake.

"Hey, sorry, I know it's late," she murmured quietly.

"Are you alright?" he asked stepping back to let her in.

"Yea," she nodded, stepping forth to hug him, "just missed you."

Aria had seemed to be doing this a lot lately – claiming that she just missed him or needed to see him. Many times the visit would consist of her staying quiet while he held her. Sometimes he would get her to talk while others they just held each other in silence. And not that he didn't enjoy that; he just also wondered what was really going on underneath it.

"Did you walk here?" he questioned, kissing her head as he held her.

"No, we're all sleeping over Spencer's again," she murmured into his chest.

"Still not over Toby?" he wondered. Aria had finally told him that Spencer broke up with Toby, but only because she thought that it was her fault he fell. She explained that Spencer blamed herself for all of this because she was the one who wanted Toby to work on her house in the first place and he ended up getting hurt. It made sense and was all true; Aria just left out the part where the scaffold was loosened on purpose and this 'A' person was involved.

He felt Aria sigh. "Nope."

Honestly, a girl's logic never made sense to Jason; Even more so now that Aria shared this whole Spencer Toby ordeal with him. Both of the teens were broken hearted over each other yet still chose not to be together. Spencer adamantly pushed that she wouldn't be with Toby anymore because he got hurt and Jason thought that was ridiculous. Besides the fact that it wasn't Spencer's fault, he thought that if two people loved each other, they needed to fight at whatever the costs to keep it.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," Arai said pulling back.

"Nah, I like running on a few hours of sleep anyways," Jason teased, pulling her closer to him again.

"You have to be freezing in that," he stated after taking full look at her when she stepped back. "It was a cold walk over here," she admitted snuggling into his warm body as he ran his arms up and down her arms.

"Are you staying the night?" he asked hopeful.

"I have to leave before Spencer gets up, and I have to go back if Hanna texts me that she's up," Aria noted.

Jason again, could not understand the need girls have to do sleepovers and talk deep feelings like that. "I'm going to take that as you're staying," he decided. Pulling her up the steps, he took her into a different room, this one not being the guest room.

"Where are we going?" she wondered.

"My bed," he told her. Walking down the hall and to the last room, Jason walked them both inside. _It's a new room,_ Aria thought. Or maybe his parent's old room yet she doubted that since that would be extremely creepy.

"I took part of the wall separating Ali's room and my parents, along with some other excess space and made this my room. It's all redone," he stated, knowing exactly what she was thinking as he watched her closely.

"It looks…like you," she smiled. He had black walls with white crown molding all around his large space. There were some pictures of him and his college friends on the walls, along with many of him and Aria. Unsurprisingly, there were very few pictures of his sister and family. There was a dresser, mirror, and closet – all against the walls – and a bathroom was off to the side of the room too, most likely being all new and furnished.

Beside his alarm clock on the nightstand was a small lamp and a candid shot of him and Aria. Remembering that day, she thought back to the picnic where he had joined her and her family. It was actually a really fun day, where her family all got to bond and get to know him. He had been a real trooper about the day too; never once thinking her family was crazy.

Anyways, this picture was of Aria and Jason cuddling in each other's arms smiling. Aria's mom had taken it, printing it out for both of them to have. Aria noted that it must have been his favorite picture too because it was set in a nice frame and was right beside his bed.

"Come on," he said dragging her to the large mattress. Forgetting to note that it was there, in the middle of his room, a king size mattress with silk sheets and a black comforter, Aria stepped towards it. The bed looked heavenly, she had to admit, and sleeping in it with Jason would be even better.

"Night Ar," he sighed, wrapping an arm around her as they got comfy.

"Night Jase," she smiled, snuggling into him as she too fell asleep.

_**A/N: Comments? Concerns? Questions?**_


	17. Chapter 17

Aria turned in her sleep, waking up around 6:30 in the morning, to arms hugging her close. Confused for a second, her eyes fluttered open and she saw a sleeping Jason beside her. Smiling slightly she inhaled his scent deeply before sitting up to check her phone. Having no messages, she laid back down and hugged him. Hopefully Spencer wasn't up yet.

"I thought you weren't an early riser," Jason groaned, flipping onto his side with her.

"I'm not," Aria yawned, "but I needed to make sure Spencer isn't up yet."

"By checking your phone?" he groaned still trying to wake up.

"Hanna would have texted me," Aria explained tiredly. Falling back asleep easily, the two woke up again to Aria's phone buzzing.

"Ugh," she groaned, prying herself from Jason's arm to check her phone.

**He could be next ;) – A**

Shooting up in fright, Aria reread the text message again before frantically getting her bearings.

"Ar? Aria!" Jason said trying to calm her down before she hurt herself. Pushing him away, she slid from the bed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jason asked her making a move to get out of bed too. She jumped 10 feet high as her cell phone rang again. As the constant buzz continued, Jason went searching through the tangled sheets for the phone.

"Its Hanna," he said looking at the caller ID. Shakily walking over to him, she sat on the bed and answered it. "Morning sunshine, Emily and I are making breakfast before doom and gloom gets up, did you want anything special?"

Feeling light kisses on her shoulder, Aria peered over to Jason who was holding her around the waist trying to calm her down.

"Aria?" Emily asked through the phone. She must have been put on speaker.

"I-…" The girls really needed a code word, Aria decided. She couldn't say anything about 'A' without Jason catching on, but she didn't want to leave.

"Meet me at my locker at school today okay?" she requested shakily.

Emily immediately picked up on Aria's tone of voice. "What happened?"

"Just meet me there before school," Aria repeated.

"Did you want me to bring over your clothes?" Hanna asked.

"Umm…yes," Aria decided. Glancing to Jason, he sat there watching her carefully.

"Okay, I'll be over in a few," Hanna stated as Aria went to hang up.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" Jason asked referring to her freak attack and cryptic call.

"Bad dream," Aria blurted out, lying before she even knew it.

"Bad dream," he repeated, knowing that she had been lying, "You checked your phone Aria. I'm not an idiot."

Swallowing hard, Aria glancing down at her lap and tried to think of something better. "What is going on with you? What are you and your friends hiding?" Staying silent, Aria wished none of this was happening. All she wanted was Jason to hold her right now. "More importantly, why wont you tell me anything Aria?" he pushed.

"Jason," she whispered, trying hard not to cry.

"Aria, what is going on?" he pleaded. She was really starting to worry him.

Opening her mouth, Aria faced the decision again to tell Jason the truth. Did she want to involve him more than he already was? Or was she not supposed to since 'A' had just texted her practically warning her not to?

Before she could fully decide, a hard knock was on the door, which made Aria scurry from the bed. "Its Hanna with my clothes."

Unknowing what to do since he just partially laid there watching her, Aria turned and walked out of the bedroom to go see her friend.

"Hey what's going on?" Hanna asked as soon as Aria opened the door. Turning back and finding nothing, Aria pushed them outside and shut the door.

"'A' texted me again," Aria shuttered. "It said 'he could be next'."

"He as in Jason?" Hanna wondered. Aria shrunk in her place, cowering in fear. "I don't know."

Tears began pooling in Aria's eyes now too. "He's catching on faster too Han. He's starting to ask questions I can't answer without telling him about 'A'."

"Aria, under no circumstances are you to tell him about 'A'. Do you understand?" Hanna asked very forcefully. "I will not let what happened to me, Emily and Toby now happen to you or Jason. 'A' is not going to win this game Aria."

"What else am I supposed to do Hanna?" Arai asked exasperated. "If I can't tell Jason the truth what can I do? I'm not going to lie to him Han. He is the only person I can't lie to. I won't – I won't destroy our relationship like that."

"Then keep dodging the question," Hanna shrugged, "spend less time with him if that means he will stop asking questions. Aria, we can't afford to have another accident on our hands."

Aria sniffled, hugging herself together tightly.

"Come back to Spencer's," Hanna bargained. "You can help Emily and I cook breakfast."

Aria shook her head and quietly mumbled, "I told Jason I would stay."

"Is he driving you to school?" she wondered.

"No," Aria said shaking her head, "I'll catch a ride with you guys."

Nodding, the blonde hugged her friend and gave her the bag. "Be careful alright?"

Aria forced a smile on her face and moved her head up and down silently saying okay. As Hanna left the porch of the DiLaurentis' house, Aria wiped the rest of her tears and went back inside.

Leaning back against the front door for a few seconds, Aria began hearing some banging from the kitchen. Slowly going to investigate, she peered in the room and found Jason at work on breakfast.

"Hey," Aria croaked. Jason looked to her with sad eyes and then turned back to the pan in his hand. He was upset at her.

"Jason," Aria spoke brokenly. She watched as he made the two of them some pancakes and fruit. It was all so familiar yet this time; they were in a middle of their first fight.

"Please don't be mad at me," she whimpered pathetically. Tears welded up in her eyes again and she stood there playing with her hands pathetically.

"I can't help you if you wont let me in Ar," Jason caved. Neither of them stepped towards each other but they finally made eye contact.

"I can't let you," she whispered out. Barely hearing her, Jason's eyebrows furrowed. He closed their distance, little by little before getting close enough to wipe Aria's tears away.

"Why?"

Aria sniffled some more, glancing away from him. "You love me right?" she asked him.

"What?"

She laughed to herself a bit. Out of all the times to bring up love and the little three words, this was when she was going to do it? Wiping some more tears from her cheek, she determinedly held his gaze.

"Do you love me?"

Pausing, he stayed silent, looking at her like she had grown another head.

"I love you," she tried to say without crumbling to pieces now. "And I'm going to be asking a lot of you – I really need you to trust me. I need you to just…hold me okay? Things are going to seem really strange and maybe crazy. I'll probably get snappy or tell you off but I want you to know I love you. And I need you here – with me. I can't do this without you and even though I can't tell you anything I'm going through right now, I'm asking you to trust me."

"That's a lot to ask Aria."

"I know," she admitted still waiting to hear more from him.

"I'll do it," he said pausing again to brush some hair out of her wet eyes, "but only because I love you too."

Laughing in relief, she beamed like the sun and reached up to take him into a strong lip lock.

* * *

Jason seemed to cheer up Aria for the rest of the time they spent together. He was etching to ask her all of the questions that bottled up inside of him, but like he promised Aria, he would just be here for her for now. Until she was ready, he wouldn't try and poke and prod into what was wrong.

"I sang yesterday," Aria stated, picking at some strawberries he had set out for the two of them.

"Yea?" he asked seemingly proud of her as he flipped a pancake.

"It was at that club you took me to on one of our dates."

"Wait…you sang in public?" he asked wide eyed.

"I went there last night with the Hanna, Emily and Spencer. The four of us did some karaoke."

"Why didn't you invite me to this?" he questioned obviously joking yet somewhat serious at the same time.

"It was a girl thing," she laughed.

"It took me forever to hear you sing again and in one night the girls and a bunch of people get to hear you?" he claimed, finding it very unfair.

"First of all, it wasn't forever. I sang for you like…that night," Aria stated, "and they all didn't hear me. We sang together so my voice was non existent anyways."

"But you still got up on stage with a mic on your hand," he stated, forgetting about the pancake to go and press her body against his.

"Yea, I guess I did," she smiled.

"Next time, I'm taking you and we can do a duet."

"Oh no," she blushed. "That was a one time thing."

"You're really not going to sing with me?" he pouted in a funny manner.

"I'll sing _for_ you," she mended, "but not with a crowd or other people around." Kissing his delicious lips, they made out in the kitchen for a while before smelling something burning. "Jase wha-…"

"Shit!" he swore, tearing away from Aria to save the burning pancake in the pan. Bursting with laughter, Aria almost doubled over.

"You're a distraction," he claimed, moving some hair from his eyes to go back to cooking.

"A good one though," she added, wrapping her arms around him from behind as he stood back near the stove. Not having anything to protest that with, Jason poured the batter into another warm pan and then moved around to wrap his arms around his girl.

* * *

One distinct thing Aria remembered after telling her friends about the Jason situation was Emily. "'A' plays mind games now?" she asked incredulous. The phrase stuck with Aria for after meeting with them in the car and hanging with them in school for the rest of the day. Was 'A' really just playing a mind game with her? Was this her jab to Aria? Did she want to do something mentally instead of physically to her?

"I have a date with Maya tonight," Emily claimed at lunch as they all sat down.

"Woah what?" Spencer asked getting back to her normal self. The girl time really helped they all guessed.

"Samara said she didn't think we were going to go anywhere anymore – she couldn't trust me, and Maya just…set everything all up for the two of us."

"So…" Aria said still lost in all of this.

"In with the old and out with the new," Hanna chimed. Glaring at her, Emily sighed and turned back to the more logical ones.

"Give it a go," Spencer tried. Aria gave a look and shrugged with her. "Yea, I don't know what to say to that either Em. Sorry."

Groaning, Emily slid further down in her seat.

* * *

Things with 'A' were getting even more and more intense as time passed. It had been a little over two weeks now and things were in havoc. Emily had gone out with Maya and continued to go out with her again and again. Apparently they shared more things in common than Emily imagined and she missed Maya's company. After a few days of being in each other's company, they declared themselves official and made a good pair like always. Everything was great with them for a while too, until they got into a fight and Maya ran away. She literally fled the state and never told anyone where she was going. It worried Emily at first, but it didn't make her fear Maya's safety until she got a text from 'A' making her/him seem somewhat involved in her girlfriend's disappearance. This made Emily become a nervous wreck.

Spencer had been seeing Wren again. She claimed she wasn't actually 'seeing' him, like dating, but they were getting closer. She had slept over his apartment one night after getting drunk over whatever her problems were. She told him a little too much too and it caused Wren to get the wrong idea about them. This soon became news to Toby, who had turned angry, hostile, and jealous towards Spencer. 'A' seemed to have inserted herself in there too, bringing the news to the Cavanaugh, that Spencer was possibly seeing someone while still claiming she was trying to get over Toby. Long story short, it caused Toby to no longer talk to Spencer. She was now an emotional wreck.

Hanna was doing great with Caleb. That was the least of her worries. Instead, her father showed back up into her life and caused some major problems for her. Not only was he having trouble with Isabelle, his fiancée, but at the same time the man was making moves back on Hanna's mom, who seemed to be falling for them too. Hanna was upset to say the least, but poor Caleb had to take the brashness of it all. She had now turned into an angry wreck.

As for Aria, she was dealing with an over curious Jason. He would subtly hint to her or try to ask sly questions to what had been worrying over the week, but she could never answer him. It had turned to be upsetting for both of them. Jason hated the secrets that were starting to appear in their relationship while Aria wanted to tell him but was scared she would lose him. 'A' had continued to tantalize her, threatening Aria that if Jason didn't stop asking questions, she would stop him herself. This made Aria not only fearful and cry like a baby but it made her weak – and she hated that. Jason made sure he was there for her in those times though. He always held her close and promised her it was okay, but he knew until she told him everything, nothing would really be okay. It was bringing a downfall on the couple's relationship and nothing could be done until the truth came out. Aria had now become a paranoid wreck.

By Friday evening, the girls all decided to meet up. Aria skipped her night out with Jason, Hanna ditched her date with her father, Spencer snuck away from an overly romantic and trying Wren, and Emily took time out from investigating Maya's disappearance. They met at Spencer's, holing up in her living room trying to figure out a solution to their problems.

"This is impossible," Aria decided after almost two hours of trying to sort out each other's problems.

"Well Spencer obviously needs to straighten out Wren and let Toby know that nothing is going on between him and her," Hanna pressed. Spencer groaned and put a pillow over her face.

"Fine then Aria needs to either break up with Jason or do something about his serious curiosity complex," Spencer stated.

"What? No!" Aria exclaimed. No matter what, she would be not losing Jason. 'A' would not be winning that satisfactory.

The doorbell rang which none of them heard except for Emily, but the three was drowning her out as they were yelling at each other about what to do with each of their situations.

"You guys!" Emily finally yelled, standing up from her seat. "The doorbell."

Getting up, Spencer made her way to the door while the girls tried to calm down.

"I'm not breaking up with Jason," Aria stated stubbornly.

"And I'm not going to confront my dad about seeing him go upstairs and sleep with my mom," Hanna noted.

"Well then I'm not giving up on trying to find Maya," Emily forced out while sitting back down.

"You guys…" Spencer said coming in with a large box.

"What the heck is that?" Aria asked getting up from her seat now.

All moving towards the large box, Spencer lifted the top and the four found dolls.

"This is creepy," Aria noted.

"Why do they look like us?" Emily asked completely weirded out as she held up a doll that resembled her.

"Look you guys," Hanna said taking her blond haired doll and finding a small necklace with her name on it. Noting that each of the dolls had on their own specific names, the girls picked them up and glanced at them.

Pulling a string on the back of the doll, Aria listened as it spoke in a high-pitched voice. "Your father isn't as innocent as he seems. Show your mother these pictures or watch as you boyfriend suffers the consequences." Inside the box, laying behind her doll were snapshots of Byron and another one of his grad assistance making out in his office and out around downtown.

Emily, doing the same thing as Aria, pulled her string. Listening hard, all four girls heard nothing.

"Is yours broke?" Aria wondered.

"No, look," Spencer said holding up a sheet of paper. **Patience is a virtue, one you need to learn Emily – A.**

Hanna did hers next then, fearing of what the doll may say. "The wedding is on. Tell Isabel what your father has been up to or your mother will pay."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hanna shouted to the piece of plastic. Grabbing a tape recorder from the box, Emily hesitantly handed them to her. Pressing play, the girls heard both of Hanna's parents having sex. It was quite vocal I may add.

"Ew!" Hanna squealed, dropping the recorder and shuddering.

Spencer went to pull hers, stopping to take in a breath. Her life was about to change. "Show Wren how you used to feel. Make out with him in front of Toby and make sure Toby gets an eyeful."

"Or else?" Spencer asked the doll.

"Spence," Aria said holding up some pictures. There were candid shots of her family in there, mostly her mother and father. Each of them had a red ex over their face like they were about to be assasined.

"I'm guessing that's the or else," Emily stated.

"Well isn't this great," Aria sighed, chucking her doll back in its crate before bending herself over the arm of the couch.

"I can't do this you guys," Spencer said sitting back down. "I can't break Toby's heart like this."

"And like you can make you're 'ready to be step mother' sit and listen to her future husband and his ex wife having vocal sex?" Hanna exclaimed.

"This is going to ruin my parents lives – and Mike –…again," Aria sighed up at the ceiling.

"Why didn't I get anything?" Emily wondered mostly to herself again.

"You're lucky," Spencer groaned.

"Seriously," Hanna chimed in.

Aria put her hands over her face, trying not to cry. Why did life have to be like this?

"You guys, I think im going to go see Jason," she spoke, getting up from her seating position.

"Is that wise?" Emily wondered.

"Like you said, he's already really suspicious," Spencer nodded.

"I can't not," she said with a double negative. "Plus," she sighed, "I need to make sure he's okay too."

Understandment was in the three girls' eyes. So far, 'A' had gotten to everyone they loved except for Jason. This made him more vital to Aria and the girls now.

Grabbing her things, including the pictures of her dad and some girl, she stuffed them in her purse and walked out the door. Hopefully Jason would be home…

**_A/N: Soo...i'm ahead in writing chapters for this story. I have a ton already written which is why i've been positing two at a time recently. And well, i'm wondering if this is okay with you all. The story is going to end up being epically long because i'm obsessed with this pair and have so many random ideas that pop into my head which makes everything longer. Should I try and cut the chapters down so its not as long or keep going? I dont know what to do. Wah =(_**


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: Yeay! So happy you all reviewed and gave me your thoughts. Glad you all don't mind this story being overly long. Just for that, might as well have a triple chapter update right? ;) Enjoy!_**

She launched herself in Jason's arms before he could even say hello to her. Surprised that she was tightly attached to him, he quickly recovered from the shock and held her close. This was another one of those times that she needed him.

"I got you," Jason murmured as he held her in his foyer.

"My dad is still cheating on my mom," she sniffled while keeping her head buried in his chest.

"What?" he asked pulling back a bit. Wiping Aria's tears, he shut his front door and planted himself in front of her.

"He's s-still do-oing it," she hiccupped. "H-he's still c-cheating on m-my mom."

Doing his best to calm her down, he grabbed her things from her shoulders setting them down on the floor and then walked her to his couch where he had been watching TV. Sitting her down gently, he made sure she was comfy before going to get her some tissues and shutting the TV off.

"Here you go," he said helping her wipe her teary eyes before wrapping her in his arms.

"I c-can't believe h-he's still doing t-this," she stated sadly.

"Aria, when did you find this out?" Jason wondered while rubbing up and down her arms.

"Today," she sniffled. "Jason," she said pulling away to look up at him. "What do I do? If I tell my mom then she'll be crushed. My whole family will be. But if I don't…" Aria trailed off knowing the consequences to that. Then Jason would get hurt – by 'A'.

"Then what Aria?" he asked her. "You don't have to tell them."

She shook her head. "I can't let my mom fool herself again." She took a few more deep breaths like Jason had been instructing. "The last time he did this and I hid it from her, it almost broke us. She was so heartbroken by it. I can't do that to her…to us again."

"And your dad?" he wondered. Aria shrugged, "why would he do something like this again?"

"Maybe you need to confront him first," Jason tried. "I mean did you see your father actually cheating on your mom?"

"Kind of," Aria replied quietly. Shaking her head, she moved to dive back into Jason's arms. "I…I don't even want to see my father right now. My family for that matter either."

"You're welcome to stay here," he murmured against her hair. "You always are."

With relief, Aria nodded. "But you're going to have to face the truth sometime." She froze again, Jason's words ringing in her ears. A hard incessant knock was at the front door, which made him break from her. Standing up to get it, he swung the front door open and found Emily looking very antsy.

"Hi, This is for Aria, I just came to drop this off for her… oh look there she is," Emily said with a forced smile as she invited herself in and walked to her blotchy eyed friend. Handing over a bag that Aria knew wasn't hers, but Spencer's; Emily bent down and shoved it in her hands.

"There is a time limit," she gritted out. Glancing up to Jason, Emily saw that he was staring at her quite inquisitively. Trying to be subtler, she bent down to hug her friend. "Needs to be done by 7pm tonight," she whispered in Aria's ear. Getting up again, she gave her a pointed look and then said a goodbye.

"Thanks Jason," Emily called, leaving as quickly as she came in.

"What was that all about?" he asked confused, coming to sit back down with his girlfriend. Emily had slammed the door practically in his face, as he stood there surprised by her entry and exit

"Just dropping off clothes," Aria said robotically. Sitting there frozen, Aria was unable to think. She had to tell her mom by tonight. How was that going to happen?

"You okay?" Jason wondered, sitting next to her with a confused look. She seemed lost.

"I-I think I have to go tell my mom," Aria stated dazed. "I-I can't let her find out before I tell her."

"But I thought you were going to talk to your dad to see if he was really guilty?" he asked confused.

"I know he is," Aria shrugged. "I can't take his word for it because he could lie."

"Aria, your dad isn't that kind of person."

"He made me keep his affair a secret for over a year before going to Iceland," Aria told him stiffly. "He didn't want my mom to find out and said that it would break up our family. He made me promise to keep it a secret between us."

Surprised again, Jason tried to provide Aria with all of the logic she needed since she couldn't seem to produce it herself at the moment. "And did he end the affair?"

Aria shrugged. "Ali soon went missing after that and he decided we could all use a fresh start in Iceland. My mom thought my dad was thinking for my best intention, but it was actually for his, so he could reevaluate things with my mom and try to start over."

"But he didn't see the woman he was cheating on with your mom when you guys came back right?"

"Not till now. He's moved on with someone else."

"Ar," Jason said turning her face to look at him. "You need to think this through a little bit more. Sleep on it for a night or something. You don't have to do this all right now. Like you said, you just found out. You are in shock."

"Shock or not Jason, I can't let my mom hear about this before me," she breathed out again. It was true how important Aria needed to be the one to tell her mother. She promised herself she wouldn't make that same mistake as she did last time. But Aria also knew that if she surpassed her time limit 'A' had given her, Jason's life would be at risk. She had to do this today and it was already 1pm – only six more hours till her deadline.

"Just stay here for a little while," he bargained. "Relax, watch some TV, talk to me. Get your mind off of it before you go back home and face your mom with your decision."

Finding it to be not the worst decision in the world, Aria quietly agreed and kissed Jason tiredly. "I'm sorry if I ruined your day," she murmured with her head on his lap.

"That's the last thing you could ever do," he spoke, running a hand through her long hair.

Aria stayed for a few hours at Jason's then, actually falling asleep in the process. When she woke, it was almost 6pm. Startled; Aria quickly went to grab her things and leave.

"Ar," Jason said from the kitchen. Wiping his hands, he walked over to her cupping her face.

"I need to go," she said quite persistently.

"Stay here, eat," he commanded.

"I can't Jason. I really need to go," she pushed. The clock was ticking now. It soon became 6:15.

"Let me drive you home then," he decided. Throwing the towel on the counter, he went to grab his keys and wallet. "Come on."

Making sure she had everything, Aria walked outside with Jason, letting her take her home.

* * *

They pulled into the driveway with silence all the way here. Aria was lost in thoughts about 'A' and her parents while Jason kept glancing over to his girlfriend worried. This, he had known, had not only destroyed Aria's family once, but now for a second time he wondered how she was going to handle this.

"Thanks," Aria murmured to him with her bags in her lap.

"Aria, if you need anything…"

"I know," she smiled sadly to him. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay the night."

"You still can," he bargained. Looking up to her house, Aria saw a curtain move and knew her mom had already seen her.

"Rain check?" she asked him.

"Always," he sighed, leaning over to kiss her.

"Call me later," he chimed as she stepped out of his car. Nodding, she shut the door and waved goodbye.

It was all too soon that Aria walked inside and saw her mother in the kitchen. Her father, Byron didn't seem to be home from work yet.

"Hey mom," Aria said ready to start her speech. Glancing to the clock she saw it was almost 6:40.

"Hey sweetie," Ella smiled to her daughter. Cleaning some lettuce for their dinner, she looked up and saw Aria distraught. "What's wrong?" she wondered, dropping the vegetable and wiping her hands to see her daughter.

"Is it Jason?" Ella wondered stepping to hug her. "Did you two have a fight?"

Aria shook her head, tears suddenly streaming down her face. "Mom, I have to tell you something," she sobbed.

"Okay, okay, what is it?" Her mother wondered worried. Bringing them over to the table, the two women sat down.

"Dad is cheating on you again," Aria confessed, trying to muster up as much bravery as she could.

"What?" Ella asked startled.

"Mom…I…"

"How do you know this?" Ella cut in. "Did you see him? Is it Meredith again?"

Aria shook her head, wiping some tears. "I don't know who it was but I…I have proof mom. And I…" Taking a deep breath Aria squeezed her mother's hands, which were wrapped around hers. "The last time when Dad was cheating you were disappointed in me. You made me promise that we wouldn't hide anything from each other again and that if I ever found something out like this again I needed to come to you. I am mom, I didn't want to know about this again but I found out and I don't know what to do…"

"What…how…" Ella was lost for words. Her husband was cheating on her again and she didn't see it.

"What proof Aria?" she finally asked. Swallowing hard, Aria stood up and went over to her bag. Taking out the folded pictures from her purse, she wobbled over to her mom and handed them to her.

Ella shakily took them, gasping as she flipped through the few of them. Putting a hand over her lips, tears fell from her eyes and she crumbled with hurt.

Aria wasn't sure what to do. This had now destroyed her mother. Going over to her, Aria wrapped her arms around Ella and cried with her.

"What's going on?" Mike asked coming down the stairs. Seeing both of his family members crying, he went over to them and glanced to the pictures on the table.

"Mike," Aria said with teary eyes.

"What the hell is this?" he questioned to his sister. Mike's eyes were now furious and hurt was displayed across his face. Slapping them back down at the table, Mike brushed past them both and slammed the door on his way out from the house.

Unsure of what to do since her mother was crying out for Mike and in hurt, Aria kissed her mom's head and went after her brother. "Mike!" she called running out of the house.

"How could you do this Aria?" he questioned with tears streaming down his cheeks and betrayal in his eyes. "How could you show these to mom?"

"What did you want me to do?" Aria yelled back. "You wanted dad to keep cheating on her? You wanted him to come home and play happy family when it was all fake? Don't you think that is going to hurt mom more in the long run?"

"You didn't have to show her," he cried out.

"She had a right to know!" she yelled back to her brother from a distance. "She didn't want to go down this road ever again and made me promise to her if I ever saw him doing this that I had to tell her!"

"Why?" he sobbed, now upset with hurt instead of anger. "Why did he do this?"

"I don't know," she sighed, stepping over to her brother and taking him in his arms. "I really don't." Letting him sob over and over on her shoulder, she waited till he calmed down to try and talk to him again.

"I can't go home," he told his big sister as she went to guide him back towards the house. Aria sighed but agreed to that. Their mother was hysterical.

"Why don't you see if Jason's home okay? Or at least keep your cell phone on you so I know you're okay?" she asked him.

Nodding, he took his phone from his pocket to show her and then backed away.

"Be home before sunrise Mike?" she called to him. Waving to her, she knew he got the message so she went back to calm things down.

Approaching the house wasn't easy and it didn't get any better when she realized her father was home with her mother. They were fighting – yelling like before.

"Ella!" Her father called. Hearing some rustling, Aria finally entered the house after hearing something break. It was a glass vase, holding flowers from the week, which her dad brought home for the two of them. Ella always claimed that it brightened up the house so her dad took the honor of buying some for her.

"Mom!" Aria called as Ella went to pick up something else to hurl at her husband.

"Aria, go upstairs," Her father commanded.

"No, she does not have to listen to you Byron," Ella cried. "You are a shame to this family. Look at what you have done to us!"

Byron, looking sullen, tried to talk to his wife with no success. "I want you out of here Byron. I want you to pack your things and get out of this house," Ella snapped.

Unable to get in much, Bryon finally did as he was told, leaving both of his girls in his wake.

"Mom…" Arai trailed off.

"Go to bed Aria," she commanded without looking at her. Opening her mouth to argue, Aria decided it wasn't the best time. Her mom wanted space so that's what she was going to give her.

She could hear her dad shoving things into a bag and Aria could only imagine how upset he was. Tiptoeing to her room, Aria went and laid on her bed to face the ceiling. It had been too long of a day with too many events occurring.

Rolling over, Aria texted her friends to see if they did their bad deed too. She could only imagine how hard Hanna's was going to be and she wondered why Emily hadn't gotten one yet. Sighing, she also scrolled through her messages to check for Mike.

Not seeing anything, she typed a text to her brother and hit send.

With her fingertips drumming against her stomach, she waited patiently to hear from him. It was now almost 8:30 and she had no idea where he was. What happened to communication? Aria thought to herself. Hearing a buzz from her phone and more fighting from her parents down the hall, Aria opened her phone.

**All done. Talk later** – Spencer.

**I've destroyed my family** – Hanna.

Feeling sad at both, she agreed to talk tomorrow and shut her phone again. Where the heck was Mike?

Her phone began a constant buzz then and Aria checked the caller ID to who it was. Jason's name flashed across the screen so she decided to pick it up.

"Hey, your brother crashed at my house? Just thought I'd let you know," he said as she said hello.

"Thank God," Aria breathed in relief.

"So how are-"

"ARIA!" her father called storming into her room. Quickly shifting her phone behind her back, she stood still as her dad's face went red.

"No Byron!" Ella screamed to him as he came close to shaking his daughter senseless. "Just get out!" she cried. "Get out of this house!"

"How could you do this?" Byron yelled to his daughter who had now backed away to the wall of her bed. "What have I done to you to do this to me?"

Aria still too startled to react swallowed hard. "It wasn't…it…I-"

"It wasn't her fault," her mother stated for her to him as she became more collected. "I had a right to know."

"Ella, I-"

"Get. Out." Ella forced again to her husband. "And don't you dare come back."

Byron, who glanced to each female, gripped his bag tighter and stormed out of the room. Ella, who was completely destroyed now, kissed her daughter's head and walked out of her room with tears down her cheeks.

"Ar? Aria!" a voice called that brought her back into motion.

"Yea," she replied completely dazed at what just happened.

"I'm coming to pick you up. I'll wake your brother and-"

"No, Jason no, its fine," she stilled. "I'm okay."

Silence came over the line and Aria laid on her bed. "Thanks for taking Mike in. He's already had a rough time."

"Of course," He sighed, "Can I please come and get you?"

"I'm okay," she answered automatically without even thinking.

"Are you sure? I don't mind coming to get you? I'd feel better about it anyways Ar."

"My dad's gone," she said emptily, figuring out what he was getting at, "and my mom locked herself in her room."

Feeling vacant and numb, Aria curled herself against her phone, "will you just stay on the line with me?"

"Always," he spoke gently as he listened to Aria breathe and silently cry.

* * *

The next day Aria woke up to her phone open against her ear. Seeing the connection between her and her boyfriend gone, she shut her phone and sat up stretching. Still overly tired, Aria went on the search for her mom. The house was still quiet and Mike must have still been at Jason's. Peering around, she went down the hall to her parents' room. The door was locked so she guessed her mom was still in there.

Making her way back downstairs, Aria grabbed a quick bite to eat before going to shower and change. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Trying to step back from the situation, Aria called her friends and wondered when they would be meeting up.

"How about the café at 2?" Emily planned. Glancing to the clock, Aria saw it was already a little past noon.

"Sure," she confirmed over the phone, "I'll text everyone."

"I'll do it," Emily spoke up before Aria could hang up. "I'm sure you have enough on your plate as it is. Let me text them."

"Sure…thanks Em."

"Of course," she sighed, "Are you okay?"

"Far from it," Aria admitted. Hearing a beep from her phone, she pulled away to see Mike calling. "Look Em, I have to go Mike is on the other line."

"He isn't with you?" she asked puzzled.

"Out for the night," she explained before switching the lines and hanging up with Emily.

"Hello?" Aria asked to her brother.

"Are they still fighting?" was the first thing that came from his mouth.

"No," Aria sighed, "Mom's in her room and dad is gone."

"Like a coward," Mike noted.

"Like mom wanted him to," she mended. "Are you coming home soon? Did you need me to pick you up?"

"Look out your window," Mike told her. Confused, Aria walked over to her bedroom window like she was told and found Mike and Jason waving to her. Cracking a smile, Aria shut her phone and ran for the men.

Jason was the first one to get a hug. Stepping back, Mike let Aria run into his arms for a long embrace. They didn't kiss, which Mike was thankful for, but they did murmur some things to each other that he didn't get to hear.

"Mike," Aria breathed tackling him next.

"So what now?" he asked his sister.

"We wait," she sighed. Putting his arms around her shoulders, Jason kissed Aria's head for comfort. "Right now mom is trying to cope with this all on her own and dad is just…I don't even know," she sighed. "But I still have my car and anything else. It will be you and I for a while."

"It will pass though right?" Mike asked her hesitantly. "Mom will get better?"

"Of course," Aria said positively. "She just needs some time. In the meantime though, I'll take you anywhere you need to go."

"Do you think we can schedule a therapy appointment?" Mike asked again, this time more quietly.

"Sure," Aria nodded, "lets go check that out."

Guiding the two of them into the quiet house, Aria went over to her mom's phone book and planner and contacted Mike's therapist to get him an appointment.

"Tomorrow at noon. You can skip school early and head over there."

"What about you?" her brother wondered.

"It will be around lunch time so I'll quickly drive you there. Will you be okay to walk home? Or did you need me to come pick you up?"

"I think I'll be okay," Mike decided.

"You know, I can help with something," Jason pitched. He had been overly quiet and the two Montgomerys had forgotten he was there.

"That's okay Jase, we can do this," Aria told him.

"Well if you do need anything," he pushed again, "I'm here."

"Thanks," they both said with a small smile. It seemed to be their trademark or something Jason had decided.

"So anything else happen while I went and hid out?" Mike wondered, "Did you ever see dad?"

Swallowing, Aria mentally prepared herself for that answer. "I did see him. He was…upset which was understandable. Mostly I hid out in my room though, I tried to stay out of everything."

Jason gave her a meaningful look knowing there was a lot more to that since he had heard it over the phone. Aria's dad had gone angry and crazy from what he heard. Jason had literally fought himself on whether or not to just go over to Aria's anyways and pick her up from the house.

"Well, I'll be in my room," Mike decided.

"Okay," Aria smiled, facing him as he left the room; watching him with a careful eye.

"So last night…" Jason started, stepping over to hug her.

"Was long," she decided, falling into his embrace like mush.

"I was so worried about you," he sighed kissing her head. Aria smiled at his words and felt guilty too. She knew what he had heard and assumed the worse but she was okay and was also sorry he had to hear that.

"You and Mike can stay over my place tonight?" Jason offered.

"Thanks," Aria sighed, "but we should really be home for my mom. I don't know how she's taking this all alone in her room and I don't want anything bad to happen."

Jason thought about Aria and her brother while also worrying over their safety. "Did you want me to stay?"

"You don't have to," she smiled up at him. He was being so sweet and loveable but Aria felt responsible for this mess and she didn't want to have Jason tangled in it too.

"I don't mind," he told her with honesty.

"Well I have to meet the girls today. Think you can hang out with Mike for a while?"

Running a hand over the side of her face, Aria let her eyes flutter closed for a few minutes. "Anything for you," he whispered.

"I love you," she declared, opening her eyes to look at him again.

"Love you too," he murmured, bringing his lips down to hers.


	19. Chapter 19

The girls decided to meet for dinner at the usual place, pushing back their first plans since they were all still dealing with the aftermath of their drama. As Aria quickly got ready she reminisced over the afternoon she had spent with Jason and Mike. It was perfect, to be honest. They watched a bunch of movies on the couch, made some snacks, and even played a few video games. Mike and Jason seemed to really get along and she was happy to see such a great bond. Mike, now more than ever, was going to need some males in his life to fulfill the emptiness of their father. The predictions on what Byron's future was going to be like were very vague and unclear. Would Ella allow him to see his son and daughter again? Would he want to? Did he care?

"Hey, what's taking you so long?" Jason asked her as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror in a reverie.

"What? Oh," Aria said snapping out of her thoughts. Jason watched her shake her head to go into action and she unplugged the curling iron in a rush. Stopping her by the shoulders before she could move past him, he searched her eyes for an answer. "Hey, you okay?"

"Just a lot on my mind," she forcefully smiled.

"I'm here if you need me," he put out there.

Debating it with herself, she finally gave in to her wants. Shrugging to make it look not so needing, she stood near the doorway. "Can we talk when I get back?"

Analyzing her, he quickly nodded. "Sure." Finally – he was happy that she was opening up to him some more.

"Okay," Aria smiled back, leaning up to give him a quick kiss before going back downstairs to leave.

"I'll see you later Mike," Aria called as she went to grab her purse.

"Bye," he said back in a usual tone, too absorbed in video games to care.

"Check on mom every once and a while," she added as she opened the front door.

"Got it," he responded. Sighing, Aria said one last goodbye to Jason before heading out to meet her friends.

* * *

"My mom hates me," Hanna decided, plopping down in her seat as she met up with her friends.

"Toby's never going to talk to me again," Spencer groaned.

"My mom is holed up in her room and my dad moved out for the time being," Aria stated to try and top them off.

Listening on about their now miserable lives, Emily sat forward in her seat. "You guys, the suspense is killing me. Why hasn't 'A' given me anything?"

"Em," the three sighed, "its better that she hasn't."

"No its not," she exclaimed. "I'm about to go nuts. I've been on the edge of my seat since we opened that package and saw the dolls. I can't keep sitting here and waiting around."

"But that's exactly what 'A' wants you to do," Aria sighed.

"Lets face it, what 'A' wants, 'A' gets," Hanna gloomed.

"Maybe she wants you to feel this way," Spencer added, "Maybe she wants to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's like another mind game. Kind of like she's been doing to Aria."

"Speaking of which, have you gotten anymore messages?" Hanna asked her.

"Not really," Aria sighed. "After that doll thing its been pretty quiet about Jason. 'A' didn't even congratulate me on breaking up my family."

"Mine either," Hanna groaned.

"I destroyed the smidge of a relationship Toby and I could have salvaged. And now Wren wont stop blowing up my phone."

"Jeez, did you sleep with the guy?" Hanna asked her.

"No, but we made out," Spencer commented.

"Must have been one hell of a make out session," Aria commented under her breath. Hearing that, Spencer glared at her.

"So then what now?" Emily asked cutting off their pity party.

"We wait to see what you get," Spencer shrugged.

"And we try to pick up the pieces from what 'A' has made us destroy," Aria sighed as she played with her straw.

Hanna began groaning again, covering her face with her hands. "My mom is never going to get over those sex tape noises – my dad either. The look on his face when I made Isabel listen to it…"

"We need to come up with a plan you guys. We need to get ahead of 'A'," Spencer sighed.

"How?" they all asked her with defeat in their eyes – except for Emily.

"So far, all I can see is 'A' winning and making our lives more miserable than it already is," Hanna slummed.

"Hanna, we need to think," Spencer scolded.

So talking for over an hour about a possible lead or plan to get ahead of 'A', the girls soon called it a night and silently decided that they had gotten nowhere.

"Hey," Aria smiled, dropping her things when she saw Jason on her couch watching some TV with her sleeping brother.

"Hey, how was it?" he asked her shutting off the cable.

"Pretty normal dinner. Lots of girl talk," she smiled while quietly taking in Mike.

"Come on," she told Jason, taking his hands to lead the two upstairs.

"What about…"

"He can sleep down here for the night," she smiled. Grabbing a blanket from their closet, Aria went back over to her brother and laid a blanket over his body to keep him warm. With a glance over to her shoulder towards him again before walking upstairs with Jason, Aria shut off the downstairs lights and went up to bed.

"Did my mom leave her room at all tonight?" Aria asked her boyfriend as walked back into her room changed in her pajamas.

"Not that I saw," Jason noted, shedding his pants and shirt. Since he didn't bring any of his pajamas, embarrassingly enough to him, he went to sleep in his boxers with Aria in her bed.

"Think she's okay?" Aria wondered to him, not caring at all that he was more than partly nude.

"Like you said," Jason sighed as Aria came over to lie in bed with him, "she just needs some time." Getting closer and snuggling together, the two wrapped each other in their arms and shut off the lamp on the nightstand.

"I don't know what I would do without you," Aria confessed into the darkness.

"I don't _**think**_ about what I would do without you," Jason chimed in making Aria smile. Tipping her head up to see him in the moonlight, she snuggled closer to him and ran her small hand over his gorgeous face. "Thank you for staying here tonight. Not just for me, but Mike too."

"I'd do anything for you Ar," he breathed, kissing her lips lightly. "Mike too. Don't ever think differently."

Snuggling back into his chest, Aria drew patterns lightly on his skin.

"You didn't tell Mike about your dad," he noted in the silence after he detected that she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

"I didn't think he needed to know," she murmured back.

"Did he hurt you?" Jason wondered just as quiet, thinking over to what he heard with Aria and her dad.

Deciding to confess and be truthful, Aria shook her head and held him closer. "No, just scared me. My mom stopped him before he got close enough to do anything."

Slightly angered at those words, Jason went a bit ridged.

"I love you." She let the words roll of her tongue and slip out of her mouth with ease, knowing that they were true and would calm him down.

Moving them so he could look at her, Jason cupped her face in his palm and replied a quick "I love you too," before kissing her senseless.

* * *

The next morning came to soon, with Aria too comfy to get up and start the day.

"Come on Ar," Jason coaxed her. "I'll make pancakes."

"No," she whined sticking her head under a pillow.

"Muffins?" he bargained. "I'll go out and get us some of your favorite baked goods."

Feeling in the mood for that, Aria lifted the pillow to see him "With my tea?"

"Fine," he jokingly huffed. It wasn't really a hard bargain she was driving, and he couldn't help but laugh slightly as she rolled across the bed to be next to him again. Kissing him softly, she let him pull away and drag her out of bed. "Up and at 'em."

Shifting into her morning routine, Aria hopped in the shower and got ready for the day as Jason left to get breakfast. It was a quick routine that Aria did. For being a girl she imagined it taking her longer but actually, today, she was quite speedy.

Making it downstairs before Jason came back, Aria set some plates out at the table and went to wake her brother from the couch.

"Mike, come on," she said poking his body.

"Go away," he groaned, putting a pillow over his head like Aria did.

"Mike come on," she pushed some more. "Jason is bringing some baked goods and you need to get ready for school."

"I have therapy today," he murmured through the pillow.

"Yea, not till lunch, now lets go," she commanded to her little brother. Pulling the blanket she put over him off, she trotted back upstairs to see her mom.

The door was still shut and no noise could be heard. "Hey mom?" Aria called knocking on her door. "We have some muffins and tea boiling downstairs if you want it." Hoping it would get her out of bed, Aria waited with her ear by the door to see if her mother would fall for her shameless trap.

"Did you want me to bring something up?" she questioned louder. "Toast? Some fruit?"

Again, all there was was a silence. Biting her lip, Aria became extremely worried. This was unlike her mother. "I'll bring you up your favorite – a banana nut muffin okay? I'll leave it outside your door."

Hoping to hear something to signify her mother was actually alive in there, Aria lingered there for a while. After getting nothing once again, she sighed and walked back downstairs. By that time, Jason had come back from the breakfast run and taking things out of the bag.

"Hey," he smiled, glancing over to her as she walked downstairs. Handing her the drink she requested, Aria gave Jason a quick kiss before pulling out something for her mom to eat.

"When did you become a fan of…the banana oat bran muffin?" Jason asked bewildered when she put it on a plate.

"I'm not," Aria said scrunching up her face. "But my mom needs to eat, and since she clearly isn't coming down here, I thought I would leave something by the door."

Jason studied his girlfriend. "No sign of her yet?"

"Not even a word," Aria confirmed. The hurt expression was written all over Aria's face and Jason knew why. Her guilt was obvious and no matter how hard she tried to look and be strong, he knew underneath it all that she blamed herself for 'doing' this to her family.

"She'll come around," Jason said cutting her dark inner thoughts with a kiss to her temple. He hated to see her worry and be sad like this. She was supposed to be happy and the loveable cheerful Aria he knows. Wrapping his arms around from behind her, he kept her close to him. "Give it some more time."

Nodding, Aria put on her mask of being 'okay' and took in a few deep breaths. Jason was her safety and rock. What she would be doing without him right now was…impossible to think about.

Jason watched as she left his arms and went to go march a muffin up to her mother's doorstep. He was helpless on how to help his girlfriend. When it came to his own parent's divorce after Ali died, it was messy to say the least, but thinking it over, all Jason could think was at least he didn't have another sibling beside him. It was easier to be the loner, take care of himself and stay out of it. But with Aria and Mike, things were totally different. There could be a custody dispute (over Mike at least) and visiting could get messy. He worried for the two of them, but couldn't do much except hang around and be there for the two of them.

Jason made sure to have her blueberry muffin on a plate waiting for her return and sadly enough; Aria came back down fairly quickly. Mike though, had beaten his sibling down by a minute or two and was through the bag in a rush for his food.

"Did you say thank you?" Aria muttered to her brother with a face full of muffin.

"Thanks dude," Mike said turning to him.

"No problem," Jason chuckled. Turning back to Aria, she seemed to be doing everything except eating her breakfast food. She had grabbed her tea in one hand, had checked her phone in the other and started to pack her and her brothers knapsacks.

"Would you please just sit down for a little bit?" Jason asked, walking over to her and guiding her by her shoulders to the table where he set out her muffin.

Reaching for her phone, she quickly swiped it from its spot and took a sip of her tea.

"Did you say thank you?" Mike asked teasingly. Rolling her eyes at her brother, she went to go ruffle his hair but he quickly got up and dodged the move.

"Thanks," she said to her boyfriend after giving Mike another eye roll.

"Of course," he smirked to her, leaning over to kiss her waiting lips.

"Okay, still in the room!" Mike called as he was near his backpack shoving things inside.

Grumbling to herself, Aria turned back to her muffin and began eating.

* * *

"You sure you have everything?" Aria asked her brother as the two of them slipped into her car.

"Yea, I'm fine 'mom'," he mocked. Finding it to be a low blow for the both of them, the siblings went silent and turned to buckle up.

Jason had wanted to drive them today but Aria needed her car to drop off Mike at therapy and Jason needed to be at the center all day anyways. So, in conclusion, it was a losing battle for the both of them.

"Do you think she will get better?" Mike asked into the quiet as they drove to school. Breaking her own thoughts, Aria briefly glanced at her brother. "Mom? Yea, of course she will. She just–…it's a lot for one person. We can't expect her to adjust to it all in one day…"

"True," Mike murmured to himself.

"We just need to be patient – she'll come around."

Aria switched on the radio for the rest of the ride, trying to help with the emptiness in the car. It seemed to work for a while, until she parked and they got out of the car.

"Thanks Aria – not just for the drive but you know…everything."

The heartfelt moment her brother was giving her was very unusual. Mike was always a sweet kid, but Aria had a feeling there was something more he had to add to his sweet remarks.

"I know I haven't been the easiest to be around lately," he murmured, tugging on his backpack some more looking a bit uncomfortable.

"No, Mike," Aria sighed. She didn't want her brother thinking that way about him. It was her that always needed the attention from her parents and it was because of her that he landed himself in trouble.

"Really Aria," he said cutting her off. "I just…the whole thing with mom and dad sucks right now, and I don't know what I would do without you. You're a good sister – the best really, and I uh…yea. That's it. I think you and Jason make a really good couple and I'm glad you guys are together."

Melting at his words, she smiled brightly and walked over to her brother giving him a quick hug. "I'll always be here for you Mike. Despite what mom and dad are going through, we are family. You're a great little brother – annoyingness and all."

Letting him go, Mike looked around trying to shrug off his soft feelings. Tugging on his backpack again, the two began to walk towards the school.

"So you really do like Jason? Its okay if he's around a lot?"

"He makes you happy," the male Montgomery stated. "And right now, I think we need all the happiness we can get considering. Plus," he shrugged glancing at her, "he's not a bad guy. He's pretty cool to be around and he doesn't treat me like some kid. I actually mean something to him."

"Good," Aria smiled, putting Jason on even a higher pedestal than what she already had in mind. He was the greatest thing going in her life right now.

"Just promise me mom will be okay," Mike pushed again before they parted ways. "I'm really worried for her."

Aria sighed. A promise like that was something she didn't know if she could keep. She was still wishing and hoping herself that her mother would turn herself around and be okay, but she didn't really know. "I'll go check on her today after I drop you off at therapy okay? You can meet me back at the house and we can skip the rest of the day."

"Yea?" he asked with a bright light in his eyes, which she hadn't seen in a while.

"Yea," she smirked back. "Come get me after 4th period and we can leave."

"Sounds good," he smirked and then left her as her friends sat down in the courtyard to wait for her. Watching her brother go, she thought about her mom for a brief moment and then let it go.

"What was that all about?" Spencer wondered, looking over her shoulder for Mike.

"We were just planning to meet up after 4th period. I have to take him to therapy, so I think I might skip the rest of the day."

"Are you going to be with Jason?" Hanna smirked.

"No, he's working at the center all day today," she sighed, sitting down now too.

"Everything okay with you two?" Emily pried.

"Yea of course," Aria said slightly confused, "why wouldn't it be?"

"You aren't seeing him today, which is like…extreme for the two of you," Spencer said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's not true," Aria rebutted.

Both Hanna and Emily gave skeptic looks, which put a smug and somewhat unhappy look on Spencer's face.

"We saw each other this morning for your information, and even though I love him and his company, I think Mike and I need some time together."

"Your mom?" Hanna guessed more understanding.

Aria slumped. "She has yet to come out of her room."

"My mom and dad have yet to forgive me," Hanna sighed back.

"Toby has yet to even look at me," Spencer grumbled.

"And Wren?" Emily wondered.

"Ugh, don't even get me started on him!" she snapped. The girls raised their brows at her tone. Clearly backing off, they began talking some more and decided if Aria was going to take the day off, they could all meet up after school at the café.

"Hey wait Em," Aria said catching up to her friend as the bell rang and they went to disperse. "Have you heard from Maya? Maybe that is 'A's game for you…"

"I thought it could be," Emily frowned, "but she's still with her family in San Francisco – I get emails from her from time to time and she doesn't say much, but she is okay I guess."

"Oh, well good," Aria said awkwardly. Poor Emily had to deal with the complicated relationship between her Maya again. Just as they were starting to rekindle their past relationship and get back on common terms it all began to fall apart.

**_A/N: Did you like? Hopefully your all still with me..._**


	20. Chapter 20

**_A/N: And the triple chapter ends long... Review please! =)_**

**_P.S. Sorry for any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes. I've been trying to get a Beta and proofread my chapters but neither people have gotten back to me and I can only read the story after writing it so many times. My apologies!  
_**

The day flew by for Aria since she only had a half of day of school. She had met her brother at the time they planned and she dropped him off at his therapist. It was quite easy and she didn't feel worried. Mike needed to talk to someone and she knew better than anyone else it truly helped. Although her and Jason didn't always talk, he was there for her, and that was enough. Aria could only guess that concept was the same for her brother. Even though she couldn't always help him, somebody could.

Pulling into the driveway, Aria put the car in park and grabbed her things. It was going to be another battle between her mom's bedroom door and her. Aria could only hope that Ella had somehow decided to come downstairs and help herself since her kids weren't home, but she knew it was a long stretch.

Unlocking the door, she stepped in the house and then almost screamed when she saw the back of a figure on the couch.

"Mom?" Aria asked cautiously. Her mother seemed to be just sitting there, wrapped up in a blanket. The TV wasn't on, there was no music; it was just silence and that scared her.

"Mom?" she asked again stepping towards her.

"What are you doing home Aria?" her mother asked her.

"I had to drop Mike off at his therapy so I decided to come home and check on you. Are you okay?"

"Go back to school Aria," her mother said with no emotion.

"Mom?" Aria asked again as she crept carefully towards her. On the coffee table was a long chef's knife and it seemed her mother was staring blankly at it. Confused for a second, she peered at Ella and found her pale. It was obvious she hadn't eaten and she had been crying profusely. But it wasn't just that that caught Aria's eye. It was the fact that he mother had one of her wrists right side up and was rubbing it with the other hand. Putting the two and two together, Aria paled and bent to move the knife away.

"Don't," her mother said sharply. Taken aback, Aria withdrew her distance from her mother and the knife and stood to face the two.

There was silence for what seemed the longest time and finally Aria couldn't take it any longer. "Mom, what were you going to do?" Fear evident in her voice and she couldn't go over all the possibilities of what could have happened if she wasn't here.

"It was just a thought," Ella told her daughter sadly. "It wasn't going to happen."

"It sure looked like it," Aria snapped. Anger was starting to fuel her veins and she couldn't help but get mad at the older woman. She was just going to leave her children like this?

"You don't know anything," Ella snapped back at her daughter with furry.

"I know what I did to you," Aria whispered with guilt, "but you can't leave us like this. You can't leave Mike and I."

Ella's eyes filled with tears and she looked away from the knife on the table to wipe them away.

"It hurts," she sniffled with a sob coming on. Helpless on what to do, Aria took a careful step forward. After getting no harsh response from her mother, she opened her arms and took Ella in her arms. Her mother cried in pain for a while. The two wrapped themselves together on the couch and held each other in sorrow. It would take a while for each of the women to bounce back, but there was hope that they could.

"Don't give up on us," Aria whispered again. "You're strong mom, I know you. Please don't leave us like this."

"I loved him," Ella responded so softly that Aria had a hard time hearing her. "I met him when I was so young and all this time…I just couldn't give up on him. I loved him – I still do."

"I know," Aria responded sadly. "I know."

Ella's daughter continued to rock the two of them back and forth. It wasn't until Ella finally fell asleep that Aria slipped away from the couch and took the knife from the coffee table. Putting it back in its spot in the kitchen, Aria wondered if it was best to keep the chef's knives here. What if Aria wasn't around again and her mother did do something drastic? Her and Mike couldn't afford to lose their mother, they just couldn't.

Her thoughts were snapped from her as Mike came through the front door, noisy as could be. "Hey! I-"

"Shh!" Aria said putting a finger to her lips. Pointing over to the couch, she mouthed the words 'mom' and then gave the action motions of sleeping. Surprised, her brother went silent and was careful on the noise he was making. Softly shutting the front door, he put his bag down and stepped closer to Aria. "How is she?"

Before she could even respond Mike was asking more questions. "She came downstairs, that's an improvement right? I mean she's here. Did you talk to her?" Opening her mouth again, her brother seemed to spill more questions for her. "Did she say if she was okay? Is she feeling better? Any word from dad?"

Deciding they couldn't talk about it all right here, she took her brother by the shoulder and brought him to the porch swing back outside. The two sat there for a while, trying to gather everything.

"When I came home she was sitting on the couch," Aria told him. Unsure of what exactly to tell him, she decided to edit some parts. "Mom mostly cried but she did talk a little bit. It's hard for her because her and dad were together for so long. She misses him and it's going to take some time."

"But we are going to be okay right?" he asked her. "I mean I know you said we would always have each other, I just…"

"Yea," Aria nodded plastering on a fake show of positivity. She knew what Mike meant. Even though they had each other, there was nothing like their mom. No one could really fill that spot – not even Aria. "I think we need to give her some more time and space, but I think she'll come around soon enough."

"And dad?" Mike wondered after a few pauses of silence.

"I haven't heard from him, have you?" the big sister wondered.

"No," Mike said shaking his head, "I kind of wish I did, but then on the other hand I'm not sure what I would even say. I just feel like punching the guy."

"Well then lets hope we don't run into him…" Aria mumbled. The comment earned a small chuckle from her brother's lips and they hugged each other before standing up again.

"Can I go sleep over Brian's? I know mom doesn't let us on school nights…well she lets you, but anyways, I want some time away from here if that's okay."

"Yea," Aria said with a hint of sadness. She wasn't sure if she could deal with her mother like this all alone. "Just make sure you have everything for tomorrow and no ditching school tomorrow yes?"

"Would never even dream of it," was Mike's snarky response back. Rolling her eyes, the two went inside the house. It was Aria's automatic response to check the kitchen knives to make sure none of them were missing, and she was beyond glad that when she snuck a glance, all of them were still there accounted for.

Mike ran off upstairs to pack a bag while Aria stood in the hall unsure of what to do. She wanted to proof her household and rid the place of anything that could give her mother an upper hand to taking her own life, but she was afraid to leave the kitchen knives from her sight. Her mom could wake up at any time and she wasn't sure if she would even hear it when she did.

"I'm off," Mike whispered, passing her in the hall with his backpack.

"You sure you have everything?" Aria asked him again softly by the front door.

"Positive," he said. Giving her a wave, he practically ran from the house and to his friend's down the street.

* * *

It was around 4 o'clock when Aria decided to dial Jason. Her mother had been asleep for over 2 hours now and she was etching to search the house of dangerous things. Slipping out to the back porch again, she kept a careful eye on the inside where her mother was and waited for her boyfriend to pick up her call.

"Hey," he chirped, answering on the last ring.

"Hey, are you busy right now?" she wondered biting her lip as she sounded hopeful.

"I'm sure I could steal some time away for you. Where are you?"

"At home. Look, could you come over as soon as you can? My mom is awake – she was downstairs when I came home from school and…" Taking a deep breath, Aria let out the true words she felt she was unable to speak, "I found her with a knife."

"Is she okay?" he asked concerned. There was some shuffling in the background and Aria assumed he was now rushing to her.

"Yea, she was just sitting on the couch staring at the thing on the table. I don't know what she was going to do but I don't know. I want to clear the house of all those kinds of things but I don't want to leave my mom unattended while I go through her room and stuff. Does that make sense? And I–…"

"I'm on my way," Jason cut in before she could say more. Murmuring a quick thanks, the two cut the line from each other. Just as Aria was about to step back in the house, her phone rang again.

"Aria, where are you?" Emily nagged at her.

Confused what her friend was talking about for a second, she then suddenly remembered their plans from this morning. "Oh crap," she responded smacking her forehead. "Em, I am so sorry. Look, something came up with my mom. I'll have to tell you guys later but I can't come to dinner tonight. I can't leave her."

"Is she okay?" her friend pried.

"Yea," Aria sighed with a long breath. "I just don't want to leave her alone tonight. I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow okay?"

"Yea, okay," Emily sighed. Giving her apologies one last time, Aria hung up the phone and went back in the house. It was only a minute or two before there was a light tap on the front door and Aria opened it to see Jason.

"Hi," she murmured quietly to him as she stood near the wooden door.

"Hey," he said with his workbag on one of his shoulders and hands tucked in his dark wash jeans. Somehow landing themselves in an awkward yet romantic moment, Jason stepped through the doorway, put his bag down on the ground and grabbed Aria into a hug after she shut the door.

It was a simple action really, and Aria was waiting for him to hold her, but at the same time his movements came unexpected. His actions took her by surprise and made that small feeling of strength she was holding onto disappear. She seemed to clutch onto him for dear life, tugging at his shirt to draw closer to her. After what she experienced today with her mother, it became too real for the poor teenager to handle.

"I got you," he murmured into her ear. He held her close with his strong arms and steady body. Aria was always going to be safe with him and for as long as he possibly could; he was going to ward off every bad thing that happens to this girl.

"You're safe, you're okay," he kept repeating over and over again. There were a few tears that slipped from her eyes but not as many as he thought. They seemed to run into these moments too often now and this time it had been the worst. He was so concerned for his girl and again, there wasn't much he could do.

Pulling back now, the two still held onto each other while moving to look into each other's eyes. Aria's was shiny and fresh with tears while Jason's were reflected with concern and love for her.

"Thank you for being here," she whispered to him as she moved a hair from his face.

"For you – anything," he murmured back, putting his forehead against hers.

* * *

As Mrs. Montgomery slept for another hour, Aria rid the kitchen of sharp utensils, harmful cleaning supplies, and even some of the aerosol cooking things. Whatever Aria could get her hands on that she thought her mother could possibly use to kill herself with, she took it and stuffed it into a bag to hide in Mike's closet. After doing that, Jason stayed downstairs to watch Ella while Aria went and cleaned out her mother's bedroom. The muffin still lay on the ground in the doorway as Aria went it. The room was dark; all the blinds were down and the bed sheets askew. As Aria made her way through the scary mess of clothes on the floor and wreckage all around, she picked up more things that could be hazardous to her mother. Her razor from the shower, her hairspray, some pills in the medicine cabinet, bottle of nail polish remover, nail clippers, and even some scarves (so her mother couldn't hang herself) were all taken from her room and bathroom. From there, the pictures of her dad were removed, along with some of his extra belongings he didn't end up taking.

The process was hurtful for Aria to do, and she couldn't believe she was doing it, but it had to be done. She wasn't going to allow her mother to do such crazy and drastic things when she was around. For her and her brother's sake, they needed her mother. Ella Montgomery was a strong woman; she just needed a little help seeing that through.

It wasn't just her mother's sudden wish for death that had her crying also, but getting rid of her dad's things and seeing how much had changed in the past few days and trying to move on. It was hard, especially for Aria because she felt like it was her fault.

"Got everything?" Jason wondered as she came back downstairs. They decided to take some of her mom's things to his house.

"Yea," she smiled sadly. Handing him the things, they went to wrap each other in each other's arms again when they suddenly heard a sound coming from the couch. Taking in a deep breath, Aria put on her mask and went to check on Ella.

"Mom?" Aria called softly.

"Honey, what's going on?" Ella responded groggily.

Puzzled for a second, she sat by her mom's feet while Jason stood watching in the kitchen. "You fell asleep remember?"

"Oh," was all her mother let out when she sat up. Ella touched her face, probably because it was tight from all the dried tears, and ran a hand through her long hair. Seemingly pulling herself together a bit, she glanced back over her shoulder and found Jason. Startled for a second, she turned back to both him and Aria.

"What is really going on here?" Ella wondered to her daughter. Aria was stunned on how motherly her mom was being right now. Did she not just go through the whole knife ordeal?

"Mom, do you remember what happened today?" Aria wondered.

Going silent for a second, Ella thought over it and then became wide eyed. Quickly remembering Jason was here, the woman was fairly silent about it. "Aria, I am fine. I'm sorry if I scared you today. Nothing like that will happen again. Now why don't you go out with Jason and do something? You didn't have to wait around here for me."

Hesitantly, Aria looked from her mom to her boyfriend. Jason seemed to be just as puzzled as she was and Aria was stuck on what to really do. "Mom, Jason and I don't mind staying here…"

"I know, but you don't have to. Go out and have some fun," Ella waved off. Getting up from the couch, her mother folded the blanket and set it back down on the couch. Walking towards the kitchen, she gave Jason a friendly smile and then went to pull out the teapot. Confused about some things, Ella inspected all around and found many items missing.

"Aria, what happened to the knives?"

Blankly bewildered on how to answer that, Aria glanced at Jason helpless and swiftly turned back to her mom.

"Uh…I well…"

"And where is Mike?" Ella questioned, now thinking about it.

"He's at a friends," Aria pointed out, glad that she could use this to cover the previous question. "I know you don't really like him sleeping over his friends but I thought he could use a break. He said he would be at school on time and get all of his homework done too."

Getting antsy by her mother's silence, Aria twisted her fingers in her hands, "plus, he said he would check in with me every now in then so I knew he wouldn't be in any trouble. Please say this is okay mom." So Aria gave a small lie, but it wasn't like her brother was irresponsible. By now, he was more responsible than either of their parents. He was cautious and caring. If he got into any trouble, Aria was sure he would call her.

The teakettle began to whistle which broke the two from their conversation.

"It's fine Aria," her mother responded as she grabbed the pot. "I'm not mad, I was just worried about him."

Pouring her tea in her cup, she turned back to her daughter and Jason. "But you two should still go out," she supplied.

"You're sure?" Aria wondered. She was waiting for some hidden message or some reason her mother would want her out of the house. Not only that, but how the heck did everything change so quickly? It was faster than a 180.

"Yes," her mother pushed. It was easy to tell that Ella wanted to say more so Jason took his cue to step out.

"I have to make a call, so I will be outside for a bit. Come get me when you are ready to go?" Jason asked her with a certain meaning in his eyes. He was concerned about her well being, trying to ask her if stepping out was the best thing.

"Sure, thanks," Aria smiled to him. She relayed that it was okay. She was confused, that's all, but she was going to figure it out.

After Jason left the house, shutting the door behind him, Aria quickly stepped up toward her mother and was quick to ask what was going on.

"I'm sorry I scared you today," Ella sighed, still keeping up the strong look to her. Analyzing her facial and body expressions Aria wondered if she was really safe to go out and if her mom really meant it.

"Aria, would you please stop giving me that look?" her mom chimed to her. Quick to defend herself, Aria stared at her mom. "It's a little hard don't you think? I mean mom, just a few hours ago you are sitting on the couch with a knife! What am I supposed to think?"

Ella sighed, understanding that her daughter was angry and worried about her. And truth be told, Ella wasn't sure where that was going or why she did that. In her bedroom, Ella let that be her time to cry and not let her kids see her weak. She promised herself that when she left the room, she would be a mother again, but things unraveled and somehow she ended up on the couch with a knife. It was harder than expected, and that wasn't supposed to be an excuse, but she didn't want her daughter to worry about her.

Ella went to open her mouth and voice all of this, but she stopped. How could she really explain this to her daughter to try and make her understand? When she woke up again after her nap, realizing she had cried to her daughter and did what she did, she knew she had to suck it up and deal with her issues. She was a strong woman and she was going to have to face all of her demons.

"Sweetie," Ella sighed, moving away from her tea to come hug her daughter. Wrapping Aria in her arms, she kissed her head gently. "I am so sorry about today okay? What that was…what you saw…what we went through today," Ella began to tear up a bit, "I didn't mean for that to happen, and it wont again; I promise you it wont."

Aria snuggled into her mom and hugged her tight. "Your father and I loved each other very much and it was amazing what we shared, but I need to realize that even though this happened, I still have you and Mike. I will never leave you Aria. I shouldn't have displayed myself like that."

Puling back, Aria looked at the tear stricken adult. "Mom–"

"No Aria, let me finish," Ella said wiping her tears. "I am your mother. I am supposed to be looking after you, not the other way around. I get what you did – having Jason come over so you could rid the house of all the materials," Ella noted, "and I'm sorry you had to do that."

Kissing her daughters forehead, Ella smiled at her. "I love you. You are so strong."

Watching as a tear fell from Aria's eyes, her mother wrapped her in her arms again. "I can do this Aria. With or without your father, I can." As they hugged for a few more seconds, Ella finally pulled back and wiped some more of her daughter's tears.

"Now go out and have fun okay? I'll be here when you get back."

Nodding silently, Aria kissed her mom goodbye, grabbed her purse and went out to meet the awaiting Jason.

He was pacing slowly back and forth on the porch, waiting for Aria to come outside. When she did, he was worried. Tears had run down her cheeks and they were in there for a while.

"Come here," he said wrapping her in his arms again.

"Can we please get out of here?" Aria murmured to him.

"Are you sure?" he wondered, confused on why she wanted to leave this place.

"Yea, she'll be okay."

"Alright." Taking her hand, he made sure to grab their things and walked them to his car.

* * *

"Did you want to talk about it?" he wondered as they pondered around his house. Jason had a bit of work to get done and Aria seemed like she wanted to be left alone. She created a spot by his window near the kitchen, just staring out at it as he worked. But when he finished, she was still fairly quiet and lost in her own world.

"She seems to be fine now," Aria muttered while still looking out the window.

"Are you?" he wondered. At that, she stayed silent, unsure herself if she was. Glancing towards Jason briefly, she saw that she had his full attention. Playing on her feelings of the heart now, Aria walked over to him where he was on the couch and sat with him.

"I don't know if I can honestly believe that she is okay," Aria confessed. "She just…if you saw her like I did…"

"I believe you Aria," Jason pushed to her as he held her hands, "I don't have a doubt in my mind about anything you say. But…you haven't really told me much about what happened."

Biting her lip, Aria ran over what did happen. How she found her mom like she was…with the knife. Feeling the tears come to her eyes, Aria looked away to try and rid them from spilling.

"Hey," Jason said in a kind, smooth voice. Bringing her to his lap, the two held each other for a while.

"Can we just-…I don't know, talk about something else? Or go do something maybe?"

"Like what?" he asked her, wiping a piece of hair from her eyes.

"There is a fair about 20 minutes away. We could go there for a while."

"And when did you like rollercoasters?" Jason teased her. Aria was never a really big fan of them, especially the big loopy ones, but just the thought of her and Jason at one sounded really nice. As she blushed hard, she hugged herself to him and gave him a jab. "It will be fun!"

"Alright," he smiled looking down at her.

"Did you get everything done that you needed to?" Aria asked, looking at all of his papers and things on the coffee table.

"Pretty much. I have a few more loose ends but nothing that needs to be done right away."

Bringing a smile to her face, Aria kissed his lips. "I love you," she murmured softly.

"Definitely not as much as I love you," he grinned back and kissed her again.


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: I love you all! haha, I absolutely loved all the reviews I got! They were so sweet and hopefully SUV101 is feeling better! Thank you all so so much for the reviews. They mean so much and I love reading them! Enjoy the double chapter!_**

They went to the fair like Aria suggested and had fun. Although the two didn't do many of the coasters that were there, they played games, ate tons of food, and took a ride on the bumper cars. Aria felt like she hadn't laughed this much in ages and Jason couldn't believe how beautiful she was when she did smile like this. Neither of them wanted this night to end.

"I can't believe you just did that," Aria laughed to Jason as he won her the big giant dog from one of the game stands. He must have spent hundreds of dollars to get this considering you had to pass each level to get the animal bigger and bigger in each size.

"I told you I would," he chuckled back as they walked together. "So what now?"

With a smile on her face, Aria glanced all around and then took him to the funnel cake stand.

"Again?" he laughed to Aria.

"They're good!" she chuckled back as they stood in line. After ordering and sitting down to eat the sugary food, Aria checked her phone to make sure Mike didn't need her. Tempted to call her mom, Aria's finger lingered over the 'send' button.

"Go call her, I'll be right here."

"You sure?" Aria wondered hesitantly.

"Jason Jr. and I will be fine right here," Jason laughed while patting the large dogs head. Giving a large chuckle and bright smile at his comment, Aria got up from the bench and shook her head. "That is so not his name."

"It's a nice one!" he called as she walked away. Laughing again, she put her cell phone to her ear and waited for her mom to pick up. It rang and rang, and the sound began to make Aria nervous.

"Hello?" Ella answered.

"Hey mom," Aria replied with relief.

"Hey sweetie, is everything alright?"

"Yea, just checking in. Jason and I went to the fair. I was thinking of spending the night at Spencer's, is that okay?"

"Sure," Ella answered. "Hey Aria? Do you know where the cooking spray is? I was trying to make some muffins and couldn't seem to find it."

"Oh," Aria said embarrassed over the phone. "Uhh…"

"Still worried huh?" her mom asked her, clearly seeing why it was hiding. "Its alright, you don't have to tell me. I can use butter."

"You know what, I'll come home tonight and we can make some more muffins or something."

"Or you can just stay over at Spencer's and stop worrying over me. I'll be fine here. Did you need to drop off your clothes or anything?"

"Uh no thanks mom," Aria blushed, as she slipped in a little lie about sleeping over Spencer's. Jason's bed and company just sounded too good to pass up.

"I'll see you in the morning then," Ella chimed to her daughter with happiness in her voice.

"Love you mom," Aria noted before going to hang up the phone.

"I love you too sweetie," Ella replied back as she disconnected the line.

* * *

"So?" Jason wondered as she returned to the table.

"She's fine I guess and I'm free to stay over your place."

"Oh really?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Blushing fiercely, Aria cleared her throat and went to a different topic. "So the school dance is coming up."

"Are you going?" Jason wondered, knowing Aria was uncomfortable and wanted the subject changed.

"I was thinking maybe you and me could go."

"What about your friends?" he wondered. Jason knew those four literally traveled in a pack, and he was curious to why she was drifting away.

"They're going," she added, "Hanna's going to go with Caleb, Emily decided to ask Paige, and Spencer is still unsure."

Caleb had asked Hanna a few days ago. It was funny how well he knew her too – making sure the whole scene was public and romantic. Not to mention asking her as soon as the tickets came out so there would be no miscommunication or worries (like Hanna tended to do). As for Emily, she decided to go out on a limb and as her old swim teammate Paige. She had to move on from Maya and start living her life. In Emily's perspective, she tried to make her friends understand that it was unfair to keep holding onto Maya when all she was doing was trying to push her away. So taking the first dance of their senior year as a fresh start, Emily asked Paige to go with her.

"Is Spencer going to go with Toby?" he asked, still thinking he was her boyfriend.

"Uh…no," Aria responded while biting her lip. With what 'A' did to that relationship, there was no salvageable relationship left. "She doesn't know if she really wants to go this time. Wren, I think is trying to convince her to go."

"Wren?" Jason asked puzzled.

"It's…complicated," Aria sighed, not sure how to title him. Letting it go, they talked a little more about the dance, with Jason agreeing to go, and then the two got up to leave.

"I had a lot of fun. More than I thought I would," Jason laughed as they made it to his car.

"Me too," Aria smiled, hugging Jason Jr. closer to her chest before getting in.

* * *

They laid in his bed, with the large stuffed animal at the foot of the mattress. Aria, who couldn't sleep was drawing doodles on Jason's chest while he laid perfectly still with her in his arms.

Soon though, Aria began to get tired and before Jason could even say goodnight she was out like a light. It was a beautiful thing to watch her sleep, but it was even more beautiful to have her in his arms. He loved the way he could feel her chest move up and down against him as she breathed, and he loved the way she snuggled with him too. Soon after watching her for a while to calm his mind, he too feel asleep and only awoke again when Aria shot up from his arms in a cold sweat.

"Ar?" he asked groggily.

"Sorry, bad dream," she croaked with a shaky breath.

"Did you want to talk about it?" he wondered, shaking himself from his sleep. Sitting up behind her, he touched her shoulder lightly and felt chills run down her body.

"It was about my mom," she whispered to him. "She just…the knife…"

"Come here," he instructed. Taking her back into his arms they laid on the bed together. "I know you might not want to tell me about what happened today, and you still don't have to, but just know that it might help to talk about it," Jason put out there.

Considering his words, Aria took in a deep breath and recollected the memory. "I came home and she was sitting on the couch," Aria said, finally telling him what happened. "I was surprised, I mean, I was expecting to put my things and go upstairs to check on her."

Tugging on him for comfort, Jason kissed her head and she continued. "I called her name twice before finally stepping around the couch to see her. She had a kitchen knife sitting in front of her on the coffee table. I wondered what she was doing with it, but it was like she wasn't even herself." She paused for a second. "I went to take the knife away but she snapped at me so I sat with her on the couch. From there, she just…cried. She was really hurt that my dad left and I couldn't do anything about it. She ended up falling asleep before I called you."

Taking it all in Jason inhaled a deep breath. "And the dream?"

"She was dead," she stated with tears rolling down from her eyes. "I didn't get there in time and she just…"

"She wouldn't do that to you and Mike," Jason declared firmly. "She won't."

"She already did," Aria pushed. Moving her head up to look at him, her eyes were sad and pleading to have him understand. "She hurt us Jason…she hurt me. And I know I can't fully understand what she is going through, but I promise Mike everything was going to be okay. I can't back out on that, I just can't."

"You won't Ar," he said holding her tightly, "You won't," he repeated. As Aria ended up falling back asleep again, Jason stayed awake thinking of what loss he was at. There wasn't really a way to help Aria and her family. Only his words and comfort could do something but he wanted to do more. He didn't like feeling helpless, especially when it came to her.

* * *

"Morning sleepyhead," Jason murmured as Aria began to stir.

"What time is it?" she grumbled, hiding her face against the morning sun that was coming in.

"A little after 7. I was going to wake you up in a few minutes."

"Did Mike call?" she groaned, still trying to wake up.

"Nope. Your phones been pretty silent."

Happy with the answer, Aria let out a little relaxing sigh, and snuggled back with Jason. Feeling Jason twist and turn a bit, Aria went to get comfy again with him. "I love you," he murmured to her. Feeling that fluttery feeling that only he could give her, she opened her eyes and leaned up to kiss him. "I love you too."

They laid in bed a while longer before going to face reality again. The two quickly got ready for school, falling into that morning routine that they loved. Each of them moved swiftly with each other, never really crossing paths to become a hindrance.

"So I'll pick you and Mike up today?" Jason wondered, twirling his keys in his hand as they walked onto the school property together.

"Yea, sounds good," she smiled, checking her phone and texting her brother to make sure he was here.

Kissing her head, Jason waved to Aria's four friends in the courtyard, said his 'I love yous' to his girl and parted ways with her.

"You guys spent the night together?" Spencer asked with judgment in her voice.

"How did you know that?" Aria wondered checking her outfit as her friends stared at her.

"You wore that last week," Emily pointed out quietly.

"Whatever," Aria brushed off.

"So what happened to dinner yesterday?" Hanna wondered.

Taking in a big breath, she told her friends about what happened with her mom and the rest of her night. As the bell rang signaling class, the four continued to talk about what was going on with all of them. Wren and Spencer now had something going on, Emily was for sure taking Paige to homecoming, and Hanna was suspicious that Caleb was catching on about 'A'. She had gotten a few warning texts from 'A' to make sure he backed off and it was putting the poor blond girl on edge.

"Let's go dress shopping today," Hanna declared as they met up at Emily's locker.

"We have till the weekend Han," Spencer stated.

"Don't be such a party pooper Spence," Hanna sighed.

"I'm cool with going," Emily said putting her input in to stop a fight. Lately Spencer had been a little pushy and snappy towards all of them. They figured it was because Spencer still had to deal with Toby in school while still also hooking up with Wren, but none of the girls were for sure.

"I'm free," Aria shrugged.

"So after school today?" Hanna clarified. Nodding, the four of them went to go part ways and go to class.

"Hey!" Aria said spotting Jason as she made her way to History. Grinning from ear to ear, Jason made a detour from where he was headed and stood in front of her. "I'm going dress shopping with the girls today. Is it still okay if Mike gets a ride home with you?"

"Yea that's fine," he nodded brushing some hair away from her eyes. Blushing, Aria nodded and then quickly went to kiss him. "I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

* * *

"What about this one?" Aria asked her friends, stepping out of the dressing room for the millionth time. She was the only one left to find the dress. Her friends kept telling her she was just being too picky but Aria thought that for this last homecoming with Jason on her arm, the outfit had to be perfect.

"Aria, I'm telling you, they all look great on you," Hanna whined.

"The last 20 dresses looked great on you," Emily groaned.

"Please just pick one so we can get out of here and eat."

"Last one," Aria said running back to the dressing room.

"Aria!" they all groaned as she changed. Her last dress that she slipped on was black that seemed to fit Aria's style very well. There were chains, beading and a belt. Instead of being frilly and overly girly like Hanna or Spencer, Aria stuck with this.

"This dress is definitely you," Hanna claimed.

"Is that a good thing or bad?" Aria wondered, biting her lip.

"It's perfect," Emily smiled.

"Very you," Spencer smiled too.

"And it's a very good thing. You look hot!" Hanna exclaimed. Laughing, Aria went to go pay for the dress. Happy with the decision she made, the four of them walked out of the small boutique ready for the up and coming weekend.

The days ended up going by fairly quick. Ella had shaped up like she said – being home for Mike when he came home from school and making dinner for the three of them. Jason had hung around from time to time too, not as much since work seemed to be piling up. Aria was getting excited for the dance, along with the rest of the girls. 'A' had been quiet and it was almost like they really got to live.

"So did you hear Mr. Fitz might be coming back? Hanna asked Aria as they were near the Marin girl's locker.

"What?" Aria exclaimed, taking her eyes away from Jason who was soon going to be walking by them.

"Yea, since your mom is thinking quitting and stuff, the Principal was looking into spots to fill her job and I guess Mr. Fitz thought about it. I thought you knew this."

"No," Aria answered in shock. Jason who was glancing at Aria's way quickly waved. She waved back; plastering a fake smile on her face like everything was okay.

"How do you know this?"

"He stopped by the other day. Him and Tamboreli were walking down the hall talking when I was on my way to the bathroom." Shutting her locker, Hanna looked to her friend. "You'll be fine. So what if he becomes our teacher again. You still have Jason."

"That's not the point Han," Aria sighed.

"What is? Its not that big of a deal."

"He just…I don't know, Ezra really creeped me out last time and I don want Jason to feel like we have a problem or anything."

"Aria," Hanna said going to set her friend straight, "Jason seems like a pretty cool guy. I doubt he would just go off the deep end because of Mr. Fitz and if you really don't want to be around the guy, calling for a transfer. But we don't even really know if he's coming yet anyways."

"Right," Aria sighed, walking with Hanna to their next class.

* * *

It was Thursday night, on the eve of the homecoming dance when Jason had dinner at the Montgomery's again. They were such welcoming people and Jason really liked them. At the time though, although Jason was happy to be with these nice people, he was somewhat angry and curious at Aria. He had found out Mr. Fitz was coming back to Rosewood high to teach English. 12th grade English to be exact. Aria knew how Jason felt about Ezra, especially since he was her ex, so why hadn't she told him? She knew right? She had to have…

"Mike and I are going to get some ice cream, did you two want anything special?' Ella asked her daughter and Jason.

"Ben and Jerry's?" Aria asked, putting in her special request.

"Alright, Mike! Come on!" Ella called from the stairway. Waiting for the two to leave, the couple sat on the couch to watch some TV before Jason went to talk.

"Hey Ar?" Jason asked after they left and had some down time.

"Yea?" she smiled up at him.

"Mr. Fitz." Jason watched and waited for emotion to flicker across her face, and when it did, he knew she knew something.

"What about him?" Aria wondered, trying to play dumb. She had yet to tell Jason that Ezra might be coming back to Rosewood High, and possibly as her teacher again.

"He's going to be your teacher again. He's coming back to Rosewood High."

Feeling a bit of shock, Aria hoped this wasn't true. Its not like she didn't like Ezra, she just didn't feel comfortable with him anymore. It was the reason she didn't tell Jason. She didn't want him to be worried or upset about the whole situation. For a while, she didn't even know if he was coming back for sure. Except now she did.

"You knew this though didn't you?" he challenged to her.

Aria felt somewhat speechless now. Was it the time to play dumb or be truthfully honest? "Yes," she whispered shamefully. "But I didn't know if it was for sure. I thought it could have been a rumor."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, getting angrier by the second.

"I didn't want you to worry," she quickly replied. "I didn't want this to be a problem."

"You lied to me Aria," Jason accused.

"No! I didn't! Jason, I just wasn't sure…"

"You know I don't like the guy Aria…"

"I know!" she said quickly trying to fix this.

"You should have told me," he accused, looking at her with hard eyes.

"Its not a big deal," she said in a small voice.

"Of course it's a big deal Aria!" Jason blew up. "It's a huge deal. He's your ex and your teacher – again. You can't expect me to just sit back and watch the two of you interact!"

Staying quiet now, Aria wasn't sure what to say.

"I should go," he said getting up and grabbing his things.

"Jason," she called.

"Not tonight Aria," he sighed tiredly. He had been working a lot lately; it was another reason why the two hadn't seen a lot of each other. Walking out the house, Aria was left alone. Sitting back on the couch, the girl sighed and reached for her phone. It had been beeping as Jason was leaving. There were two messages both from unknown.

**You let him leave Aria, you may never get him back–A**

**Tisk tisk Aria, what did I tell you about hurting my brother– A**

Aria swallowed hard and ran off the couch to try and get Jason back. Opening the front door, she looked into the dark night for him but he was gone. A sickly feeling came over the Montgomery and she tried to text and call him to apologize.

"Please call me back Jason, please," she begged as she left him a voicemail. After about five minutes, Aria finally tried to call Hanna to see what she would do.

"Do you know if he got home okay?"

"No," Aria said with tears in her eyes.

"Text Spencer, ask her to check if any of his house lights are on. If so, I guess just give him some time Aria. Ezra is a big deal to him…"

"I should have told him," Aria sighed. "I was so stupid…"

"No, you made a mistake. Just…apologize to him tomorrow at the dance. I'm sure he just needs some time to cool off."

"Right," she sighed. Saying her goodbyes, Aria quickly texted Spencer like Hanna suggested and then was startled when her mother and brother came through the door.

"We bought a ton of ice cream! Oh…Aria, where's Jason?" Ella wondered.

"He…went home. He had a lot to do tonight."

"Okay," she responded obviously skeptical about the answer.

"We bought chunky monkey," Mike pitched, seeing there was something up with her sister's answer too.

"And cookie dough," Ella smiled.

"Sounds great," Aria forcefully smiled, getting up to help them with all the dessert they brought home.


	22. Chapter 22

It became a family night, with a ton of ice cream, some board games and a late night movie. Aria, Mike and Ella had stayed up doing all sorts of fun things. For once, it felt normal, even without her dad to do something like this. It was easier to relax too, since Spencer had texted Aria back saying Jason did make it home. They ended up all falling asleep on the couch, practically on top of each other as the movie still played the rest of the way through. It was probably a picture perfect moment too, missed by the three sleeping people.

When the Montgomerys finally did wake up though, to a bright and shiny day, it was Ella who was up first, making pancakes for all of them. She had a bright and shiny smile on her face like it had been the best night ever. And to Aria, it was. She could have asked for anything better…(well maybe a happier ending with Jason, but she promised herself to fix that today at school).

"Smells awesome," Mike said with enthusiasm as he went to look over his mom's shoulder.

"Set the table," Ella instructed as she flipped some blueberry ones.

Both Aria and Mike did as they were told, each taking turns to go upstairs and freshen up while helping their mom.

"So what happened between you and Jason?" Ella wondered nonchalantly to her daughter as Mike disappeared.

Unsure of what to say, Aria bit her lip.

"There was a rumor going around school and it ended up coming true. Jason was mad I didn't tell him about it."

"Did he have a right to be mad?" Ella asked curiously.

Aria shrugged, "I don't know. I guess he did but its not like I meant to hide it from him. Rumors are just rumors; I didn't think one of them would come true."

"Well, yea, I see where you are coming from," Ella said setting down some food.

"But when an ex is coming back into the picture its kind of hard to not tell him."

Wide eyed, Aria quickly spun to look at her mom. "How did you–…where did you draw that conclusion?" she gaped.

"Its not that hard to figure out sweetie," Ella said stirring some more batter, this time adding some chocolate chips. "So who is he? Do I know him?"

Aria was clearly embarrassed. "Mom!" She could tell that her mom didn't know it was Ezra Fitz as her ex, considering she wasn't flipping out like she would definitely be if she knew, but Aria didn't want to go any further with the topic either way.

"Just wondering," Ella pushed, "you know you've never really brought around your boyfriends before. Jason is the first one I think you have actually admitted to your father and I about."

Hearing the word 'father' was something a little touchy for Aria, and it seemed like for Ella too.

"I'm glad you introduced Jason as your boyfriend to me," Ella concluded.

"Do you think he's still mad at me?" Aria wondered, hoping that Jason would hear out an apology from her.

"The way he looks at you…I don't think for the life of him he could be mad at you for too long."

Chuckling at that, Aria left the kitchen table and went to go hug her mom. "Thanks."

Ella smiled brightly and wrapped an arm around her daughter. "I'm glad to see you happy Aria." The mother kissed her daughter's head and continued to flip a bunch of pancakes.

* * *

At school, Aria kept her eyes open for Jason but never seemed to find him. He wasn't in his usual spots, his office looked like he hadn't stopped in there in a while, and he didn't linger around the hallways looking for her. By lunch, Aria had concluded that he was either not here for the day or just avoiding her. Either way, she didn't like it, especially since they were on bad terms, which was her fault.

Listening to her friends banter on at lunch about homecoming tonight was the last thing she wanted to hear. She probably wasn't even going to go with her date being MIA. So instead of sitting there trying to make her way through the horrid conversation, she got up and told her friends she was going to the library.

Sitting in a section where nobody really came was peaceful to Aria. She could hear herself think and not worry about this stupid dance tonight. There were no signs around the rows of books about Homecoming and there weren't any rowdy kids talking about it.

With her butt planted on the school carpeted floor, Aria whipped out her phone and decided to give Jason a call. She knew it was going to voicemail, but he was pretty good about checking his phone and stuff like that. Hearing a beep, that little hope Aria kept inside her that Jason would miraculously pick up the phone died, and she left him a message.

"Hey Jase, its me. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to end things the way it did. If we can talk that would be really great. And…" taking a breath, she tried not to feel hurt when saying this, "if you want to back out of going to the dance with me, I can accept that. Just call me back when you have a chance and I'll see…err…hear from you I guess." Biting her lip, Aria paused. "I love you," She added softer at the end. Hanging up, she tucked her phone under her chin and sat there to think. It was wrong not to say 'I love you' at the end. They had said it to each other so many times, why did they have to stop now as they encountered their first couple's fight.

The bell rang, signaling lunch was over and time to get to next class. Hauling herself up, Aria grabbed her bag, and went to check her phone one last time.

**I'll be there – 9pm** Jason's text said.

Smiling with happiness, Aria shut her phone and scurried off to class to finish the day.

* * *

She waited a whole 45 minutes after 9 to get picked up from Jason. It was embarrassing for Aria since Mike was already at the school helping to DJ. She texted him to see if Jason was there – which he wasn't – and her mother was waiting with her to see Jason show up. Aria checked her phone over and over, along with calling him once or twice. Each time, there was nothing except his answering machine and no response of a text. Mortified and angry, Aria finally declared to herself that she was stood up. Trying not to cry, Aria sent her friends a text to just go and meet their dates at the dance, she wasn't going to be there.

After that, she turned on her heel and faced her mother. Ella had that clear look on her face that she knew her daughter had been stood up and it was sorrow in her eyes. Feeling that overwhelming sense to cry, Aria shook her head to her and ran up the stairs in her new black high heels. She ran into her room, slamming the door shut before jumping face first on her mattress. The poor girl cried her heart out, feeling so much pain and betrayal. He led her to believe that they were okay – that he would be here for her. But he wasn't. And that hurt.

Her phone was buzzing off the hook, probably with Hanna, Spencer, and Emily wondering why she wasn't going to show up and what was going on. The thing was though; Aria didn't want to tell them. She was embarrassed enough as it was, and to voice it out loud was even more humiliating. Finally, after a steady constant buzzing of text messages and calls, Aria opened her phone.

Her latest one was from unknown. Feeling that icy feeling in her veins, Aria opened the message and saw numbers. They must have been something important, especially since it said 'her life depends on it– A'

Now quickly starting a four way with her friends, she found Hanna and Spencer picking up.

"What's going on?" Aria asked quickly.

"Did you get the 'A' text?" Hanna asked her.

"Where's Emily?" Spencer wondered before she could answer.

"She didn't pick up when I called," Aria spoke, wiping her tears.

"Me either," Spencer said suspiciously.

"Not for me," Hanna sighed.

"…do you think 'A' means Emily?" Aria asked in a small voice.

"Shit. Okay you guys, what do you think the numbers are?" Spencer said getting down to business.

"Address?" Hanna suggested. "Phone number?"

"Too easy," Aria claimed.

"And too short or long," Spencer said.

"Do you think it has something to do with the alphabet? Like translating from phone buttons or something?" Aria guessed.

"Mm…no," Spencer sighed. Minutes passed with silence on the line. "You guys, coordinates!" she exclaimed.

"Lets all meet up and drive together?" Hanna suggested. "I'm way too scared to do this alone."

"What about Emily?" Aria cut in.

"Must be at the dance already," Spencer guessed.

"No, after Aria said o go ahead, Emily said she was leaving. Paige was meeting her at the dance."

"'A'" they all whispered together.

"Okay, Aria I'm coming to pick you up. Hanna call the guys and tell them we wont be there and we are massively sorry."

"I don't have Jason's number," Hanna dumbly said.

"Don't worry Han," Aria said sadly, "I got it."

"Alright," Hanna answered hanging up.

There was a knock on her door just as she closed her phone. Telling whomever it was to come in; Aria wiped her tears from her face and went to fix her mascara.

"I think you should still go to the dance Aria," Ella said walking into her daughter's room.

"I am," Aria said, going with the excuse to get out of the house. "Spencer is coming to pick me up."

"Oh…good," Ella said surprised and relieved, finding her job easier than she thought it would be. Getting Aria to do something that she didn't want to do was always hard. She was as stubborn as a mule. "How did she talk you into that one?"

Aria smoothly lied; knowing everything she was saying was true. (It was the reason Aria didn't want to pick up her phone after all). "It's Spencer mom. She's a Hastings's, she doesn't really take the answer 'no'. Its in their blood or something."

Ella smiled and chuckled a bit. "Very true." Watching her daughter fix herself, the two heard the doorbell ring.

"See you later mom," Aria said kissing Ella's cheek on the way out.

* * *

"You guys, this is freaky," Hanna noted, as Spencer drove them to some location that seemed deserted.

"Where is Emily?" Aria said worried.

"Look, a barn!" Hanna pointed. Driving up to it, Spencer quickly put the car in park and the three swiftly got out.

"Emily!" Aria called into the darkness.

"Shh!" Spencer said to her.

Walking all around, while still trying to stay together, the three finally pushed open the heavy barn door and found Emily laying on the ground. As the three went to reach her, they began to cough.

"Carbon monoxide," Spencer gasped. Trying to cover their mouths and noses, the girls dragged their friend out of the barn and kneeled down to find a pulse.

"She's breathing," Spencer claimed.

"Emily? Emily!" Aria said, shaking her a bit.

Pushing her friends away, Hanna bent down and lightly smacked the girl across her face.

"Hanna!" the two protested. But it worked. Emily began to stir, and cough horridly.

"Thank God," Aria exclaimed, able to rest easier.

"What happened?" Emily groaned.

"That's what we would like to know," Spencer grunted.

"Why did you go here alone?" Hanna asked her friend.

"I got a doll," Emily coughed. "She was in my backseat. 'A' must have put her in there some how. My GPS was messed up too. They gave me directions here and I thought I heard something in the barn. When I went in, the door closed and the car started running."

"What car?" Spencer wondered.

"The car in the barn," Emily replied burying her head in her hands from her headache.

"Em…there was no car," Aria said with a glance to her other friends. Wide-eyed and helpless, Emily lifted her head from her hands, "'A' must have moved it when I was unconscious."

Getting paler by the second, Emily pushed away her friends and started to puke.

"Come on, we need get her to a hospital," Spencer instructed to her friends with a concerned voice. Nodding, the three helped Emily get back on her feet and walked her to the car.

* * *

They didn't think the police would get involved when they brought Emily in. As they paced around the waiting room for Emily and tried to figure out 'A's puzzle pieces, the cops showed up asking questions. Emily had acute carbon monoxide poisoning. And since Mrs. Fields said that Emily had left for the dance without any problems, it had to be with the girls.

Apparently the police had also scanned the Fields' house to make sure there was no carbon monoxide in the area, but Aria and Spencer were slightly skeptical on that since Mrs. Fields wasn't here at the hospital with her daughter.

As they were questioned, it was clear that the police assumed that they did something to Emily. It was bad though because it led onto more suspicions like the accusation of Ian and the whole dead and missing friend Allison thing. Were they thinking they had something to do with their friend's death again?

Each of the girls also had a hard time answering the police questions. The simple ones like "where were you?" or "how was Ms. Fields poisoned?" was something they couldn't tell truthfully. What were they to say to the cops? Oh, my own personal blackmailer who goes by the name of 'A' gave me coordinates to find my friend who almost died today? It was out in the middle of nowhere, except for some barn/shed thing. Their answers weren't going to cut it.

"We don't know how she was poisoned," Spencer answered for them.

"And where were you three?" the cop questioned.

"On the way to the dance," Hanna spoke up.

"And people can verify that?" he asked.

"Our family," Aria said, "and our boyfriends," Hanna spoke up. Going silent, Aria shrank back. Right now, that was a touchy subject.

"We'd like to ask you a few more questions at the station ladies," the cop said closing his notebook.

"What about Emily?" Aria asked.

"Ms. Fields is going to be released later tonight. There are a few more tests the doctors are going to run and her mother is on her way right now."

"Please, come with us," the second cop spoke up.

"We aren't going anywhere. We have a right to have a guardian with us – or a lawyer for that matter and I'm calling my mom to represent us. Veronica Hastings? I think you know her," Spencer challenged.

The two cops gave a face of recognition and easily stepped down. "You know what, you ladies have been through a lot and her mother would probably appreciate to see some familiar faces as she waits for her daughter. All we ask is to stay in touch with us and don't leave Rosewood for a while."

"Of course," the three replied.

"Thank you for your time," the cops responded and walked off.

"Wow, your mom's name really does have power," Hanna said surprised.

"I don't doubt that," Spencer grumbled as she moved to sit back down.

Mrs. Fields showed up a while later, concerned for her daughter when Emily called her to tell her.

"What happened girls?" Emily's mom asked concerned.

"We don't know," Aria said honestly. "The doctors say she has carbon monoxide poisoning."

"But how?" Mrs. Fields asked heartbroken.

Spencer stepped up, trying to come up with a viable lie that would make sense. "W-w-e don't know. Emily was pulled off to the side of the road puking and we just…"

"She didn't look good so we decided to take her to the hospital," Hanna finished for her.

"Thank god you girls were headed the same was she was," Mrs. Fields said still upset. Feeling guilty, the three glanced at each other and watched as the mom got to go see Emily.

They waited a few hours to try and see their friend but Mrs. Fields told them to just go home. The doctors wanted to keep Emily over night just in case and so they wouldn't be able to see her anyways. Disappointed, the girls agreed with the mom and told her to tell Emily they loved her. As they gathered their things to leave, Aria froze.

"You guys…" she said in a frightened voice. Feeling around her dress pockets, she couldn't seem to find what she was looking for.

"What?" Spencer wondered.

"My phone is gone."

"Like…your cell phone?" Hanna asked beginning to freak out.

"No like her home phone," Spencer snapped at her. Setting their things back down, the two friends felt around Aria's dress. "Did you leave it in my car?"

"No," Aria replied shaking her head, "I put it in my pocket when we…crap."

"When we what?" Spencer asked her.

"When we went to look for Emily."

"Its at the creepy barn place," Hanna concluded. Groaning, the three were unsure what to do. The text message tones rang through the girls' ears.

**The game is about to get a lot more fun now- A**

"Shit," Spencer claimed.

"What?" Aria wondered as she watched Hanna and Spencer's face.

"She's got your phone," Hanna grimaced, showing her the text, which was from Aria's phone.

**_A/N: Enjoyed the 2nd chapter update? Hopefully so! By the way, I finished the rest of this story! Its about 40 chapters long so we are a little over halfway now. I'll keep trying to post up chapters as much as I can everyday so you all can keep reading (and feed you obsession like me haha). I'm still totally wishing for this couple to happen (which probably won't - *tears) so i'll have to stick with my story - but - I might try and get ahead of the game and work on a sequel or different plot line for Jason/Aria? Sounds good to all? Can't wait to hear what you guys think of all this! ~Review!_**


	23. Chapter 23

**_A/N: Enjoy!_**

"You're home early," Ella claimed when Aria stepped through the door.

"Uhh…yea."

"Did you have fun?"

"I–we didn't go," Aria confessed, going over by her mother on the couch. "We ended up taking Emily to the hospital, she had acute carbon monoxide poisoning."

"Oh my god, is she okay?" Ella said worriedly.

"Yea, she is fine. The doctors are just keeping her over night just in case. Mrs. Fields is with her right now."

"How did she get carbon monoxide poisoning?"

Aria shrugged and painfully stuck to Spencer's story. "We found her off to the side of the road as we were driving to the dance. She was throwing up and didn't look good so we took her in just in case."

"Wow," Ella said stunned.

"Yea," Aria sighed. Sitting in silence for a bit, she began shifting as she felt uncomfortable. "Hey mom?"

"Yes?" Ella wondered breaking away from her own daydream.

"During the whole fiasco with Emily, I sort of lost my phone. It was in my dress pocket and must have fallen out. Spencer, Hanna and I drove back to where Emily's car was and stuff but my phones gone. Do you think we can get a new one?"

"I'm sure we can try," Ella bargained. The mother seemed happy that her daughter had assisted her friend in something. She was acting like Aria had practically saved Emily's life. And maybe she did, but the lying about it afterward, and all the details didn't feel good. Lying was not always easy for Aria, especially when it came to her mother now a days. She always felt so guilty when her mom was always trying to be so truthful. "Well, I'm going to bed. Emily is going to be released early so I think we are going to head up there. Maybe we can swing by the phone place after?"

"Sure. I'm going to wait up for Mike but night sweetie," Ella smiled.

"Night mom," Aria said walking to the stairs and going to bed.

* * *

The next day was nothing like Aria had planned. Instead of going to see Emily before she went to get released from the hospital, the police made a pit stop to her house to bring her in for questioning. It was humiliating to say the least, having the police show up at the front door.

When she made it inside the station, there sat her other two friends Spencer and Hanna, but at least one of them had a parent.

"I'm her attorney too, keep her over here," Mrs. Hastings declared. Thankful, the cop nudged Aria towards Spencer and her mom, while some other officer at his desk was questioning Hanna.

"What's going on?" Aria hushly asked Spencer's mom.

"It's important for the police and doctors to know how and where Emily got carbon monoxide poisoning. And since you are the last ones to see her…"

"Were suspects," Aria finished.

"No, just key pieces to solving the puzzle. You aren't going to be labeled anything bad while I'm here," Veronica stated.

Surprised, Aria looked to Spencer who had the smallest of smiles on her lips. That was her mother for you…

It was about an hour or so before they got released. They were told to hang around Rosewood, not get into any trouble and a bunch of other small things.

"What about your phone?" Spencer asked Aria when they were alone.

"I told the cops that I lost it. It must have slipped out of my dress when I was getting out of the car for Emily or something. They know its gone so whatever happens now can't be my fault."

"You know, that's really smart thinking," Hanna complimented.

"Thank you Hanna," Aria smiled at the compliment.

"Okay okay, but then what are we going to do about 'A' in the meantime?" Emily asked, who was still sitting on her hospital bed. Apparently there was some massive trauma so the doctors were needed around the ER.

"I don't even know," Aria sighed. Checking her watch, she found it was time for her to go. Gathering her things, she scooped her purse over her shoulder and glanced back at her friends. "My mom and I are going to get me a new phone today."

"Aria, you can't leave now," Spencer whined.

As much as Aria knew she shouldn't, she needed to. She had plans with her mom and she didn't want to talk about 'A'. 'A' had ruined everything in her life, especially when it came to Jason. She still wasn't sure if 'A' had something to do with being stood up or if it was completely Jason. Either way, she felt empty and hurt and she didn't like to dwell on that feeling with people around.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. We can have dinner or talk about it later tonight. I really have to go you guys, sorry!" Aria exclaimed before backing out of the room and leaving. When she got home, she was surprised that her mom was still in her pajamas hanging around with Mike.

"Aria!" Her mother smiled brightly. "Look what I found on the front step this morning. Someone must have found it for you and brought it here," Ella declared, handing Aria her cell phone back.

Dropping her things on the counter, Aria took a step forward, surprised to see the device in her mom's hands.

"Did anyone leave a note?" she wondered.

"No, but it could have blown away. It was slightly windy this morning."

"Right," Aria muttered skeptically. Kissing her mother and ruffling Mike's hair, she went upstairs to her room and shut the door. It was odd that her phone was suddenly found and it was even weirder that 'A' hadn't kept it for blackmailing use.

Flipping open the phone, Aria immediately felt sick when she saw her phone background had been set to Ali's picture. It was one of her prettiest ones, where Ali was looking over her shoulder at the camera. Going straight into the settings, Aria tried to change the picture, but it seemed to be locked. Whoever took this wanted to keep Ali's picture on her phone, and until Aria could get it fixed, this was how it was going to stay.

Inhaling, Aria dealt with the fact that her dead best friend was her background photo and went onto more important matters. 'A' had sent a text from her phone, so checking the history of her messages; it seemed to be there, right in plain sight. It was horrible to think about, considering if the police ever saw this…

_Oh gosh,_ Aria thought. Aria had told the police her phone was missing and someone sent a message off of it. Now that she has her phone…what if things back fire and they don't believe her? It wouldn't have been the first time and now she could be facing Emily's attempted murder charge!

Unsure of what to do, Aria quickly deleted the text message from her history for peace of mind, but knew it would still be there and the police could find it with a warrant if they ever really needed to.

Pacing around her room, Aria couldn't think of what to do first? Try and fix her phone or go tell the police her phone was delivered back at her house. Deciding to go with the second option, Aria grabbed her coat and went back downstairs.

She was going to tell Mrs. Hastings that her phone had been anonymously delivered and that the police should be notified. Doing just that, Aria let her mom know where she was going, with Mike tagging along and they walked to Spencer's.

"So who do you think dropped off your phone?" Mike wondered as they walked.

"Not a clue," Aria said, trying not to think about 'A'.

"Its cool that they did," Mike shrugged.

"Yea, I guess so," Aria smiled fakely. Coming up to the house, Aria knocked on the door and let herself in. Calling for Mrs. Hastings, she was met with her in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"Aria, what can I do for you?" Veronica asked. "I thought you were with Spencer and the girls."

"I was," Aria confirmed. "I left because I thought my mom and I were going to take a trip to the phone store but apparently my phone was dropped off at the front door this morning."

"Oh, that's good," Mrs. Hastings said, finding the actions to be a little too nice also.

"Yea…well, anyways, I was hoping that you could let the police know for me? I told them that I lost it and stuff but now that I found it I don't want them coming to any conclusions."

"Of course," Veronica nodded understandingly. "I'll give them a call right away. Good thinking Aria."

Smiling, the two Montgomerys soon left. As they walked down the sidewalk, Aria's head lifted and caught the sight of Jason's house. The place was dark from what she could see, but she couldn't really think about that since seeing anything that belonged to him or reminded her of him was a punch to the gut for her. Aria thought about that night of the dance, his promise to her about picking her up, and the fight they had. It was a complete mess and made her sick. She hated that he just left her, especially because she loved him.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you," Mike said softly, "and I know I can't do much. But I'm here for you Aria – if you ever need me."

Tearing up, she looked away from the house and shoved her pain to the side. Slinging an arm around her brother, the two leaned into each other before walking. Mike was always a good sibling. He was dependent, sweet, and even though he got on her nerves sometimes, he was well worth it.

"I was stood up," Aria confessed to her brother as they walked.

"At the dance?" Mike wondered.

"Before the dance," Aria scoffed pitifully. "He said he would pick me up at 9 – or at least that's what we talked about. He wanted to the whole gentlemanly thing and pick me up."

"Did he say why?"

"Nope. I haven't heard from him since that text. I thought we were okay, but I guess we weren't."

"Maybe he has an explanation," Mike bargained.

"Its kind of late isn't it?" Aria wondered sadly.

Mike observed his sister for a while as they walked in silence. She had been down ever since then. And even though she hid it very well, he could still see it at times. "He really hurt you."

Aria nodded. "I thought he loved me." Taking a deep breath in, she looked out at the way in front of her, "but love isn't like this. When two people love each other they don't stand the other one up or mislead them. They don't break promises either. It just…I don't know," Aria sighed tiredly.

"Think we can go downtown one night?" Mike randomly asked. "I like the bookstore there and we can go catch a movie. They have some new action one coming out you and I might both like."

Catching her brother's drift, to try and cheer her up while steering her away from the conversation, Aria put a smile on her face. "Yea, that sounds really good."

"Sweet," Mike smiled back before running off from her and up the driveway to the house. God she loved her brother.

* * *

Aria decided to give Hanna a call when she got home, hoping that Caleb could help her fix her phone. The kid was beyond tech savvy and as much as Aria thought she might be able to take Ali's picture on her phone, she couldn't. It was too freaky to even look at.

"Who the hell is this? You think this is funny you big sicko?" Hanna exclaimed into the phone.

"Hanna! Han! Its me, Aria."

Shocked, Hannah's mouth went agape. "Aria?"

"Yea, its me. I got my phone back. Long story short, I need Caleb's help." As she talked, Aria could hear some static over the phone. Wondering what it was, she pulled the earpiece away and looked at it. Ali's picture appeared again and she quickly put it back to her face so she wouldn't have to look at it.

"Why do you need him?" Hanna wondered confused.

"I need him to fix my phone. It's stuck on this weird setting. Do you think he can fix it?"

"Probably," Hanna told her. "I'll have the girls come by tonight after Caleb fixes your phone and we can talk about it all. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Aria stated relieved before hanging up the phone.

* * *

"What can Caleb's tech shop do for you today?" Caleb asked with a sarcastically happy smile on his face when he opened the door. Cracking a smile and laughing a little, Aria walked inside and pulled out her phone.

"Get Ali's photo off my background," she said handing him her phone. Giving her a confused look, he shut the door and followed her further into the house.

"How did it get on there?" he wondered.

"My phone was delivered back at my house after I lost it…" Aria trailed off as she greeted Hanna in the kitchen.

"Some sicko must have put it there," Hanna claimed as the gears in Caleb's head started to turn.

"Right," Aria said going along with it.

"Anything else you noticed that's changed about your phone?" Caleb wondered as he sat down by his laptop.

"Uhh, no I don't think so." Watching as he typed on the computer and hanna made a call to get take out, the light in Aria's head lit up. "Actually yea, there is. When I was talking on the phone with Hanna today, the earpiece kept making some crackling sound. Do you know what that could be from?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Caleb looked over the phone and shrugged. "it can be a lot of things. I'll check it out for you. Is that it?"

"Well…now that that could be something, is it possible if someone blocked a certain person's calls or texts?" Aria wondered as she thought about Jason. Maybe that was the reason she wasn't receiving any calls from him or something.

"That's pretty extreme and doubtful. I can try pulling up your history and stuff from your phone company if you want. But it's going to take some time. I'm going have to get passed a bunch of security measures."

"Yea, sure, take as long as you want. I'm in no rush."

"Alright," he sighed. There was something more going on, Caleb knew. It was pretty obvious, but the girls were thankful he wasn't asking questions. It wasn't until something weird popped up that made him start. "Aria, do you know who dropped this phone back off?"

"No why?" she wondered as her and Hanna picked through the Chinese takeout they ordered a while ago.

Instead of answering, Caleb flipped the camera part of the phone down, grabbed some paper beside him and wrote _'your phone's bugged'_.

Wide eyed, both of the girls looked at each other and knew what each of them were thinking – 'A'.


	24. Chapter 24

'Tweezers', Caleb wrote down on paper again as he went to check out the phone's hardware. Scurrying off to get them, Hanna handed him the silver utensil. The three of them stood there at the kitchen island watching. It was unbelievable how small the bug was that the person used. Aria would have never guessed that that little black dot would have been a bug.

Disposing of it quickly, Caleb made sure it was completely destroyed before talking again. "That would explain the crackling you have been hearing Aria."

"You think whoever it is has been listening to my phone calls?"

"Possibly," Caleb guessed. "Who knows what else they did. I'll run a bunch of tests on your phone and make sure everything is in place. Do you know who would want to do this?"

Both Hanna and Aria looked at each other carefully, trying not to give away too much to what they already knew.

"What's really going on here?" Caleb wondered, catching the look. "Is something going on with you guys? Are you in danger or something?"

"What? No," Hanna scoffed, moving away to find some more food or something. "Caleb, you watch too many movies."

"Something is going on," He stated, looking between the two girls. "And if I'm going to be doing any more work on this phone, I think I have a right to know about it."

"It's just some stupid prank or something they are trying to pull on Aria," Hanna fibbed again.

"Aria?" Caleb wondered as the couple fought. She had stayed silent, unable to give a yes or no. She didn't like to lie and she wasn't very good at it either. But did Caleb really have a right to know? Was it really in his best interest to know?

"I really would just like my phone fixed. Right now I don't care who it is, all I want to know is what else he or she has messed with," Aria spoke truthfully. After a moment of silence or two, Caleb gave in.

"Fine, but if I come across anything else, I expect some answers."

Treading on thin ice now, both Hanna and Aria left Caleb alone to work on the phone while they went to talk in the living room. Hanna turned up the TV fairly loud so they could talk in whisper like voices about what was going on and how to handle it.

"This is honestly crazy! 'A' bugging your phone?" Hanna hushly exclaimed.

"What are we supposed to tell Caleb?" Aria asked panicked.

"I don't know, just let me deal with him okay?"

Nodding, Aria picked at the nail polish on her nails. AS the two girls continued to talk, the doorbell rang and Hanna went to get it.

"Hey guys," Aria said over the back of the couch as Emily and Spencer joined them.

"What is Caleb doing with your phone?" Spencer questioned.

"Yea, I thought you lost it?" Emily wondered.

"I did," Aria said, turning as the three sat down. "Your mom already knows it was returned to me."

"Returned?" Emily questioned.

"Yep," Hanna said with a hidden meaning. The girls all looked at each other and clearly understood.

"So Caleb is fixing it?" Spencer asked pointedly. It was not a good idea, she was saying, but they couldn't say that while he was here.

"He actually found a bug in it. So he's running some other tests, making sure its all checked out before I use it again."

Raising an eyebrow, both Emily and Spencer gave her a look. 'A' really tapped her phone?

"How are you feeling Em?" Aria wondered, changing the topic.

"Better," she smiled a bit. "My mom has been freaking out, putting those monitor things all around our house, but other than that, I'm back to my old self."

"Did Paige forgive you for missing the dance?" Hanna teased.

"She better have," Spencer commented, "she couldn't seem to leave her bedside."

The girls chuckled. "I actually had to step out of the room for a while to give them some time together. It was a good thing I ran into Wren," Spencer stated.

"Ooo, Wren," Hanna teased. The girls laughed again as Spencer blushed.

"So what did you guys do? Make out in the storage closet?" Aria joked. Spencer shifted in her spot again and the girls went wide-eyed. Laughing harder now, the girls teased Spencer some more.

"Aria, can I see you for a second?" Caleb asked coming into the room and breaking up the girl talk. Silence started to settle in, and as Hanna went to go and protest, Aria gave her a look and walked alongside him towards her phone.

"What's up?" she asked.

"So I fixed your settings for your background," he stated, "it was encoded or something, I don't know. I also broke into your phone's history and nothing seemed tampered with there."

"So I didn't miss any calls or anything."

Watching her carefully, he shook his head, "not unless someone went through a lot of work to erase their back trail." Aria was immediately brought down. That meant Jason had stood her up on purpose. "Its possible I guess, but it would take someone pretty smart to do that and a person with a lot of time on their hands. Were you expecting a call or something? Someone specific?"

"No," she said shaking her head, "don't worry about it."

"Alright," he said allowing her to get away with the answer. "I amped up your phone for maximum battery usage and memory. I also made sure to run a few more programs to make sure nothing else was tampered with, so you should be good."

"Thanks Caleb. I don't know what I would be doing without you right now. I definitely owe you one."

"Yea," he said hesitantly. As he gave her back her cell phone, he decided that this was the best time to ask her. "What's going on?"

"Hmm?" Aria wondered preoccupied with her thoughts. "Something is going on with all four of you – Hanna especially."

"I-I don't know what your talking about Caleb," she stated.

"Oh please Aria, you're the worst liar out of all of them. And not only that but you did just say you owed me. So what's really going on?"

"Nothing," she swallowed hard. He was pushing and pushing and Aria wasn't sure what to say anymore.

"Well then who did this to your phone?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I didn't even know it was bugged. All I wanted was the picture off."

"Something is going on here Aria. You have to tell me. If Hanna is in danger…"

"Caleb…no. Its okay, we can handle it."

"So there is something going on," he guessed. Mentally slapping herself, Aria bit her lip. "Look, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here. I don't know who did this to my phone and it's hard to tell when it comes to Ali. People in Rosewood are just…they think it's a game or something, I don't know."

"Its sick," he spat while shaking his head. "She was your guys best friend. Why would they do this to you all?"

"Because people don't have anything better to do," she shrugged.

"I don't want to lose her," Caleb admitted, looking over to the living room where Hanna was.

"No one said you were going to. Caleb, you are the best thing for Hanna, she would never want to lose you. And maybe she'll tell you when she's ready. There's a lot going on right now and sometimes, its best when people don't know."

"You've lost me," Caleb said with honesty.

"Its better that way," she smiled. "Thanks again," she said holding up her phone. Nodding he watched as she went back into the living room with her friends, while also setting a picture of her and Mike on her phone.

* * *

"What did he want?" Hanna whispered to her as Aria sat back down.

"Just telling me what he fixed on my phone and stuff."

"Did he ask why?" Spencer wondered.

Aria hesitantly nodded her head. Her friends began to freak out. "But I didn't tell him anything. He's confused and hurt, but he's okay," Aria rushed out. Hanna's face went glum and Aria felt bad for her. "He's worried that you might get hurt," she told her, "and he's worried if he keeps pushing he's going to lose you."

"What do I do you guys," Hanna sighed.

"I told him he would never lose you," Aria added in softly. "But I think if we are going to keep this whole thing going and talking about it, he needs some of his questions answered."

"No way," Spencer spoke up.

"Spence," Aria started.

"No Aria!" she quipped. "If we start telling Caleb things then who is next? Jason? Wren? What about Paige? Should we tell her too? If we start sharing things about 'A' who knows what's going to happen."

It was a low blow to hear Jason's name, but Spencer was partially right.

"I'm tired of keeping secrets," Hanna mumbled.

"We all are," Emily sighed.

* * *

It ended up being a sleepover for the night; with Caleb leaving and saying he would be back in the morning for breakfast for all. As the girls all sprawled out falling asleep, Aria stayed awake thinking about Jason and everything that had happened. She never really explained why she decided not to go to the dance, and it was never brought up amongst her friends And those facts were not what bothered Aria – its not like she wanted to explain to her friends that she was stood up by her boyfriend (or ex now anyways). It was the question to where Jason was right now. Her mind was swirling with questions only he would be able to answer. Where was he? – Hiding out at home or at the center maybe? Did he have to do something for his family? But then if he were, why wouldn't he call her? Or maybe text her? Why did he make it seem like everything was okay when it clearly wasn't?

Time seemed to be passing by quick, and as Aria glanced over to the clock, which read 3:15 am, she knew se had to get some sleep. Letting out a large breath, she covered her hurt, wiped her few fallen tears and went to sleep.

* * *

A week and a half – That's how long it's been since Aria had been stood up. There was still no call or text from Jason and her friends were starting to wonder why she hadn't been hanging out with her boyfriend. Aria had chalked it up to helping her mom when her friends asked. Even though Ella had been doing great as a single parent, now quitting her teaching job and helping at one of the local cafes so she would have a good shift for when Mike or Aria needed her, Aria still felt like she needed to be around and help.

It was surprising; not only to her mother and friend when she got a job at a photography studio downtown to help around the house and for some extra cash, but it was fun. Aria enjoyed that kind of thing, and she was good at it too. It was also a good excuse to get away from her problems with 'A', her sad and miserable thoughts of Jason, school and her home.

School had been a hellhole. After the sleepover weekend with the girls and Caleb, Ezra had come back into the picture, teaching English again. He was of course her teacher, for senior year and she despised it. Again, she requested for a transfer into a different class, one he wasn't teaching; and she told Ezra when she asked him to sign that it was a conflict of interest between the two, but it didn't seem to work. Her request had been denied. So for the rest of he school year, she was stuck with him.

Life wasn't any better at home either. Her dad had started to call the house now, stopping by occasionally to see the kids. Even though it was clear her mother was to look at him, she still peacefully acknowledged him in and called both Aria and Mike down to see him. Together, Aria and Mike hated when their father came around. The two hated what he did to their mother and it was hard to look him in the eye. But Mike had an easier time to cooperate with him than Aria did. Ella had begged and pleaded with them to be civil so they wouldn't have to have a custody dispute, and Mike did – but Aria couldn't. She couldn't seem to stand her father and it was good to have a job so she could run away from him or use it as an excuse when he wanted to see her.

But tonight Aria had the night off and her and Ella went shopping around the downtown area with Mike in tow behind them.

"Yea, I liked that," Ella smiled to her daughter.

"Ella?" a man called to her.

"Ron?" Ella said back, walking forth while furrowing her eyebrows. Coming into view was Ron Strauss with his son Holden, who Aria had been good friends when they were little. The two of them used to have playdates and get togethers when the parents also got together.

"I thought you two were in Portugal for your sabbatical," Ella smiled while giving him a hug.

"We were, we just got back this morning," Holden said with a smile as Ella hugged him too.

"Hey Holden," Aria smiled.

"Aria," he smiled back. "Hey Mike," Holden added as her brother came into view. They gave each other a manly head nod as the parents talked some more.

"We should get together some time," Ella added.

"Sounds great," Ron chirped.

"Dinner maybe? We would love to have you."

"Sure, I'll call you?" he asked her. Smiling brightly, Ella gave them her cell phone number before they each went their separate ways.

* * *

"Aria!" her mother called up to her. Aria groaned, running to the stairs to help her mother with tonight while also trying to figure out what to wear.

"Where is the–"

"Here," Aria said handing her mother the turkey baster. Her mother had been working frantically around the kitchen trying to get the food ready for their company tonight. Holden and his parents were coming over for dinner and dessert. _Luckily they were bringing the dessert_, Aria thought in her head.

"Anything else?" she wondered before trotting back upstairs.

"No, thank you!" her mother called after her.

"Aria, what am I supposed to wear tonight?" Mike asked her as he caught her in the hallway.

"Nice shirt and possibly a tie. Dress slacks too."

"Great," he groaned, waking back into his room. Chuckling to herself, Aria went back to her closet and pulled out a dark floral patterned dress. This was going to have to do. Quickly showering, doing her makeup, curling her hair and adding some jewelry to the dress, she grabbed her heels and walked downstairs to help her mom.

Just as dinner was getting put on the table, the doorbell rang. Swiftly walking to get it, Aria opened the door.

"Hey," Holden smiled at her.

"Hey, come on in," she beamed back. Him and his family stepped inside and shed their coats. "You have a beautiful home," Ron commented, taking it all in again after years of not seeing it.

"Thank you," Ella smiled and guided them to the table.

"So Aria, how do you like school?" Mrs. Strauss asked while cutting her turkey.

"Its…school," she chuckled.

"Holden will be starting there in a couple days. Maybe you can show him around?" Mr. Strauss asked her.

"Of course," she said glancing to Holden. Not only was he embarrassed but he was shaking his head.

"Do you have your schedule yet?" Aria wondered to her friend.

"Yea, we picked it up this afternoon. I have the usuals pretty much, although I did meet my English teacher. Mr. Fitz I think his name was?"

Aria froze a bit and then resumed picking at her cooked carrots. "Oh. How do you like him?"

"He seems pretty cool. Kind of young though," he commented.

"He actually just came back some time ago too," Ella chimed in, "he used to work at Rosewood High – as Aria's teacher too then in fact. During halfway through the semester though he got a better job opportunity at Hollis College and switched there. But now that I'm not working at the school, he came back to teach my job."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Mrs. Strauss added. "And how do you like having some time away from the school?"

As the parents talked, Holden and Aria snuck each other looks. It was playful in the beginning. Most of the time it was Holden mocking their parents, but after the doorbell rang his looks became more concerned.

Aria was the one to answer the door after it rang. They hadn't been expecting anyone else here so when she swung the door all she wanted to do was close it.

Byron Montgomery was standing on the doorstep with flowers in hand ready to say something to Aria. But before he could, Aria took the initiative and stepped out on the porch slamming the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see our company. The Strauss's are in there aren't they?" he asked her.

Aria went silent. "Aria, I know the last few times we saw each other we haven't gotten along. But for tonight can we just…"

"Don't," Aria spoke with hardly any anger in her voice. Looking out at the night sky she folded her arms towards her body and shook her head.

"We don't want you here."

"Your mother invited me," he told her.

Aria furrowed her brows. That wasn't true. There wasn't another setting for him. But there was one on the counter…

Feeling sick, Aria swallowed hard and moved some hair away from her face.

"I messed up Aria. I know that. But there are only so many times I can apologize." Byron took in a breath, "and you can be mad at me for as long as you can possibly be. But your mom wanted me here and these are our friends."

Again, Aria was quiet. She felt so much anger boiling inside of her, but there was also hurt too. Never in a million years had Aria felt so burned with the men in her life.

"Lets talk after this okay Aria? Just you and me."

"No thanks," she murmured, and went inside, leaving the door ajar. Byron sighed and walked into the house. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get through to his daughter. He wanted to make up not only for lost time, but the way he scared Aria. His anger got the best of him and that was never a way a father should act around his daughter. Aria was hurt and he saw that, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Aria was like Ella. Until she was ready to forgive him, he was powerless and was going to stay that way until time healed her soul.

Through the rest of the dinner, Aria and Mike sat uncomfortably at the dinner table as their dad joined them. Ella had not been surprised, only commenting that he was late. Setting out the pace setting at the other head of the table, she took the flowers he carried in and put them in a vase.

Holden couldn't stop looking at her, seeing the masked pain on her face. Finally when the kids were off to do whatever, Mike going upstairs while the adults talked, Holden pulled Aria aside. "You okay?"

"Yea," she nodded while keeping her arms wrapped around her waist. Catching the fib, he dragged her to the top of the stairs where they could sit down and talk privately.

"You don't have to tell me," he commented, "but I do have to say that when your dad walked in – I think it was one of the most awkward moments of my life."

Aria cracked a smile and let out a laugh. Holden was right. After Aria walked back inside the house fully ticked at her mother and upset her father was here, Byron walked in slowly after he. He shut the door behind him, held up flowers for Ella and said hello to the Strauss family. He was very family man like, but the way Aria had previously slammed the door and stayed outside for a while, everyone knew something was up.

"What are you doing on Friday?" Holden wondered.

"Nothing why?" she smiled.

"Do you want to catch a movie or something? Or maybe go somewhere and catch up on old times?"

Grinning even more, Aria quickly nodded. Even though she hadn't seen Holden in years, he was still the same old funny guy she liked. He always made her laugh and do the craziest things. They were great friends the two of them and she couldn't wait to hang around with him again.


	25. Chapter 25

**_A/N: Loved the reviews! I know you are all worrying and wondering about Jason, but he'll be back... hopefully with an explanation too! ;)_**

Aria's friends were beyond confused and curious when Holden came into the picture. They set up plans at school for Friday and even walked down the hall together talking.

Right before 5th period, the girls finally pulled her aside, into the bathroom, and asked her what was going on with Jason.

"Nothing," she shrugged.

"He hasn't been around…like at all," Spencer commented.

"I thought you hated him? Did you think he was 'A'?" she challenged. Spencer went quiet and immediately backed off. Narrowing her eyes, Aria knew something was going on beneath that. "What?" she wondered. There was something Spencer was hiding from her.

"Nothing," Spencer shrugged.

"Tell me," Aria demanded.

"Yea wait. Tell us what exactly?" Hanna wondered glancing at Spencer now too.

"Its nothing you guys. It doesn't even matter. We are here for Aria and possibly Jason. What is going on with you two?"

"Nothing. And if this is about Holden, I already told you; he's just a good friend of mine. We've known each other since preschool you guys," Aria told her friends nonchalantly.

"He asked you out. Doesn't that kind of mean you guys are more than friends?" Emily wondered while holding her books to her chest

Aria rolled her eyes, "its not a date."

"Besides," Aria shrugged, "it gets me out of the house and away from my dad."

"Why don't I believe your whole story?" Spencer wondered, with her own eyes narrowed.

"Spencer, seriously. I'm not going out on a date. I'm just going out to catch up with Holden. Its not a big deal and now we are going to be late for class," Aria groaned as the bell rang. Saying a goodbye to her friends, Aria left the bathroom and went to class.

* * *

The 'date' with Holden made Aria feel like she was just a normal girl hanging with a friend – it felt good. After the movies, they went to a coffee shop and caught up on their lives. Holden was a world traveler – always going across the world with his mom and dad while Aria was stuck in Rosewood until senior year was over.

"Are you free next weekend? Saturday maybe?"

"uh, maybe why?" she wondered. Hopefully Holden wasn't thinking they were going to be something. _This wasn't a date right? _Aria questioned to herself.

"Its okay if you're not. But I was hoping you could be my cover. Maybe get out of the house at night or something and pretend like we went out again?"

"Why?" she wondered with narrowed eyes.

Sitting back in his chair, Holden crossed his arms and put a teasing smile on his face. "It's a secret."

"No fair," she ruled out. "I can't just be your cover if your not going to tell me where you're going – or what your doing."

"If I share my secret, you have to share one."

Aria went quiet thinking about it. Was it worth the risk?

"So any secrets worth spilling Aria?" Holden smugly teased.

"Fine. I'll tell if you tell. But you have to go first," she challenged with a laugh.

"No telling parents?" he asked her in seriousness.

"God no," she said shaking her head. Each of them laughed a bit before shaking on it.

"I'm competing in the Tang Soo Do tournament, or working up to it anyways."

"What's that?" she wondered.

"Martial arts," he quipped.

"But don't you have a heart condition?" she wondered, thinking back to the times when they were kids and he went to a bunch of doctor appointments.

Holden sighed.

"Holden, you need to stop," Aria said worriedly. "You could die."

"Aria, my heart could rupture whether I'm doing what I love or I'm at home playing apples to apples with my parents. I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life sitting in front of a TV. Especially when there's a decent chance its gonna be shorter than everyone else's."

Surprised about his words, it was Aria's turn to sit back and think about it.

"So what's yours?" he wondered.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Your secret," he said.

"Oh. Umm…okay. You promised not to tell anyone," she reminded him. He nodded, "You know Mr. Fitz? Our English teacher?" Holden nodded. "I dated him my junior year."

"What?" Holden asked shocked.

Aria bit her lip and made him quiet down. "We actually met before he was my teacher…" Telling him the whole story, she quickly and quietly finished, hoping she wouldn't be any different to him.

"I can't decide who's secret was bigger," Holden stated. Feeling a grin come across her face, (along with relief as there was no difference about him when he looked at her) Aria shook her head and laughed again.

* * *

"So wow, this must be awkward for you then right?" Holden murmured to her as they walked into English the next day together.

"I thought we were going to keep our secrets secret at the coffee shop?" she muttered back to him.

"Hey, just observing," he pointed out as they were the only two arriving in English class.

"So did your mom bust your butt for the late night?" Aria asked Holden as he came to sit on the desk in front of her so they could talk.

"No, she was passed out on the couch asleep. I don't even think she realized what time it was."

Smiling, the two continued to talk and laugh.

It bothered Ezra that Aria was smiling at the new kid Holden Strauss. He knew from the gossip around the school that him and Aria knew each other as kids, but it didn't bother him any less. He already knew Jason was his competition, now Holden too? Ezra had to win back Aria somehow, but how? Thinking about it more deeply, Ezra wondered if Aria and Jason were still a couple. The DiLaurentis had been out for a while now and he wondered if he quit or it was something else.

"This Saturday right?" Ezra heard Holden ask Aria.

"Yup. I get to come and watch right?" she asked him.

He scoffed, "yea right."

Glancing up at his ex, Ezra saw Aria smile at Holden. _Just friends my ass,_ he grumbled.

* * *

Holden's competition was amazing. She was so worried about him as he fought with his opponent yet at the same time, after it was all done she was proud of him. He was an amazing fighter, with such skill; Aria couldn't help but be impressed.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?" Holden asked her as they walked to the car after the tournament.

"Nothing much," Aria shrugged. "I'll probably hang out with my friends. I haven't been spending as much time with them lately as I usually do."

"My fault huh?" he guessed.

"What? No," she shook her head. "Just been busy and stuff. A sleepover will do the trick, trust me."

Laughing, Holden unlocked his car and helped Aria get in. "You have to get home right away?"

"Yea, I should," she sighed. Ella, Mike and Byron were out doing some family thing, and Ella wanted her daughter back home to at least say goodbye to her father before he went on his business trip.

"Alright," Holden told her, driving back into Rosewood to be at her house. The Montgomery home was actually quite dark for the time. It was near midnight and no one seemed to be home.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Holden asked her.

"Yea, don't worry about me. Just get home safe. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Yea sounds good. Bye." Shutting Holden's car door, Aria went inside and turned on the kitchen light. Setting her things down like usual, Aria took off her heels and traveled towards the kitchen.

There was a bang from upstairs and Aria wondered what it was. Going to investigate, Aria crept her way up the stairs. "Hello?" she called. The sound seemed to disappear. Walking up a few more stairs so she was near the top, Aria listened again but didn't hear anything. Shrugging it off, she went to turn around and walk back down the stairs. Just as she did so, a black hooded figure appeared from behind her and shoved her hard so she went flying.

Aria let out a scream and tumbled headfirst back down to the first floor. She felt her body hit the large middle step of the stairs, crashing into the small table that was set there. A vase must have fallen on her too because she felt something sharp pierce her skin. Thinking it was over, Aria groaned, trying to get up, but was pushed again, now crashing down to the hardwood floor.

Blood pooled out from her head and stomach then, as the glass stabbed her deeper when she rolled down the rest of the steps. Lifting her head to glance at the stairs, Aria saw the black hooded figure just standing on the step watching her bleed out.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Aria heard someone yelled. Suddenly her name was being called and a stabbing pain was cursing through her body. Her head hurt like a truck had run her over while her ankle and wrist were throbbing.

"Aria!" her mother called to her in a panicked tone.

"Mike call 911!" Ella commanded to her son.

"Mom?" Aria groaned with her vision blurry.

"Oh god Aria, don't move okay sweetheart? We are getting you some help."

"Stay with us Aria!" Bryon called to her.

Confused on why she was hearing her dad's voice, Aria began feeling too dizzy and tired to care. Soon, she was shutting her eyes again giving into the darkness that creeped over her. No longer could she listen to her mother and father's faint calls for her.

When Aria woke up again, she was in the hospital. There was that beeping from the heart monitor and pulse reader thing on her pointer finger. Alongside that, Ella was sitting on a chair by her side while her brother was waiting against the wall across from the foot of her bed.

"Mom?" Aria croaked out.

"Oh Aria!" Ella called standing up and rubbing her hair.

"Ow," she groaned out when she opened her eyes to the bright lights.

"Mike, go get a doctor," Ella commanded. Doing as he was told, Mike rushed out of the room. Aria could hear sniffles from her mom, but she felt to drowsy and achy to do much about it.

"What happened?" she wondered, somewhat confused.

"Ms. Montgomery," Wren said coming into the room.

"I'm here, how is she?" Byron asked, coming in with some munchies and drinks, which she was guessing for her mother and brother.

"How are you feeling?" Wren asked Aria.

"Like hell," she groaned. Removing her arm, which she set over her eyes for the light, Aria let out a hiss. It was too bright.

"Here, lets do this," Wren said, shutting off the overhead light above her and turning on a lamp.

"Can you tell me how you're feeling? Any pain anywhere?"

"My head," Aria murmured. Bringing her hand up to her forehead, Aria winced again as she touched the open cut.

"You split your head open from the fall," Wren told her.

"What about my wrist?" Aria groaned as she saw it was in a split.

"You must have used it to stop yourself from hitting the floor. Unfortunately, you ended up spraining it," he said in his humble accent.

"What else?" she groaned. Trying to move, Aria put a hand over her stomach.

"Ah yes, you found the stitches."

"From what?" she asked, partly unsure if she really wanted to know.

"From what I could tell, you must have broken some glass on your way down the stairs and it ended up piercing the skin. It was a fairly large piece of glass so there should be no problems with it. But," he said sighing, "there will be a scar."

"Aria, do you remember anything?" Wren asked her as her family stood around her.

"Just coming home and putting my things down."

"Anything else?" Byron wondered. Wren glanced at him and talked to Aria again. "Can you remember anything else? Anything about your fall?"

"I-I don't know. Its sort of blurry," Aria groaned, feeling her head pound. Feeling her pain in her head consume her, the heart rate machine spiked and Wren quickly went to her. "Aria? Aria? What is it, can you hear me? Tell me your pain?"

"My head," she gritted out. Arching her back, she let out another painful cry as the stitches near the edge of her stomach were stretched. An alarm was pressed and Wren pushed her back down on the bed carefully. He gave a shout for some drug and Aria quickly passed out from the pain.

"She survived Spencer. She's very lucky," Wren's voice said. "if it were anyone else…or if it had been another few minutes, Aria would have lost too much blood to be brought back."

"But it was just from her head," Spencer's voice said.

"No, it was also fro her stomach and other wrist. The glass must have also caught it and she almost bled out."

"She's going to be okay though right? I mean besides the long remission…" Emily's voice sounded.

"She'll be fine," Wren told her. As Aria fought against the fog, shifting a bit and turning her head from side to side, she heard a click and someone come by her side.

"Aria?" Wren called to her.

Slowly opening her eyes, Aria was met with her three best friends and Wren glancing at her. "How the head?" he questioned.

"Hurts a bit."

"Okay, we are going to push some morphine," he said writing it on the chart. "Anything else hurting Aria?"

"I don't think so," she groaned.

"Okay," he sighed, putting his pen back in his coat pocket, "now you reopened the stitches on your stomach when you had pressure in your head, so be extra careful with your stomach."

Nodding, Aria watched as Wren dropped her chart at the foot of her bed and made his way back over to Spencer. "Only a few minutes Spence. You aren't even supposed to be in here yet."

"Okay," she nodded to him before saying goodbye.

"I'm so sorry Aria," Emily said first. Confused, Aria tried to slide up the bed but it became too painful when she was only halfway in the sitting position.

"Its our fault you fell down the stairs," Hanna gloomed.

"What do you mean?" Aria wondered.

"'A'", Spencer said, sitting down with her friends. "You got hurt because of us. We've been keeping secrets from each other and 'A' doesn't like it."

"What? No we haven't. We've–"

"We have," Spencer cut her off. "Jason is my half brother," she confessed. "What?" Aria practically shouted. Getting riled up, she sat there agape while trying to get more answers.

"You remember when my dad had been talking to Mrs. DiLaurentis? It had something to do with that. Her and Jason had been trying to get the secret out and stuff like that."

"He never told me," Aria croaked, thinking about Jason.

"I'm sure he was waiting for a good time to tell you," Spencer said putting her hand on top of Aria's. Skeptical was nothing close to what Aria was feeling. 'A' thinks that she hadn't been keeping a secret from her friends, well, her breaking up with Jason should have counted.

"Your secret?" Aria asked Emily.

"I sent that forged letter about my swimming to my parents even when you guys told me not to."

"Wow," Aria noted. That was big; plus so many things could go wrong with that – especially when and if 'A' was to get involved.

"I told Caleb about some 'A' things."

"What?" All three of them now shouted.

"I didn't tell him everything," Hanna said picking at the hospital bed sheets. "But it was too overwhelming and I was getting caught in my lies. I can't lose Caleb you guys."

"So what does he know then?" Emily wondered.

"About our suspicions of Jenna and Garrett. Nothing more than that really."

Going over it all again, the girls talked about what had happened. 'A' had sent them a text saying something along the lines of having secrets wasn't any fun unless someone was hurt so you could share it with everyone. The bitch was evil and not being sure who it was was making Aria get lightheaded. Her heart monitor spiked up again and Wren came in. "Okay, that's enough. Aria needs to relax and get some sleep," he said checking her over again.

"I'm okay," she said brushing him off as her friends got up from her hospital bed.

"We can't afford you ripping out your stitches again," Wren told her, "and your head needs to heal Aria. You split it open pretty deep."

"We'll go," Spencer said. "We will come visit you tomorrow morning okay?"

"Sure," Aria tried to smile to all of her friends. After they left, Wren checked off a few more things on her chart and looked at the monitor's around her.

"Hey Wren? Where are my parents and Mike?"

"I tried to send the three of them home but they wouldn't budge so they are in the cafeteria. Would you like me to go get them for you?"

"Yes please," she nodded.

"Alright, I'll be back," he told her, setting down her chart again and leaving.

Lying back against the bed, Aria didn't have to wait long for her family to join her.

"How are you feeling?" Ella asked her, coming to her daughter's aid.

"Okay," she forcefully smiled. Glancing at the rest of the company, Aria saw her dad was there, along with a pale Mike.

"The police would like to talk to you tomorrow morning Aria," Bryon stated.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Mike's bedroom window was open so they want to cross reference your story with what they think could have happened."

"Awesome," Aria groaned. Inhaling with a slight wince after a few moments, she glanced at her tiresome parents, "you guys should go home."

"I want to stay," Mike said immediately. Surprised, she tried to look at her brother but found his head stayed bowed.

"We're staying here," Ella said determinedly.

"There's no point," Aria stated. "Please. Go get some rest and shower."

"Mike?" Byron asked.

"I said I'm staying here," he repeated with more forcefulness.

"I'll have Wren try and find him a blanket and extra bed or something," Aria added, speaking up before her mother could say something.

"Alright," Ella gave in. "Love you both," she said kissing her kids.

**_A/N: P.S. Sorry, only 1 chapter uploaded today - I didnt have time to go through and proofread two. =(_**


	26. Chapter 26

**_A/N: Super busy day, hence the one chapter upload and probably a ton of grammatical/spelling mistakes. Sorry!_**

"What's with you?" Aria wondered to her brother after Wren brought Mike in a pillow and a blanket.

"Nothing," he shrugged, going to shut off the light so the two could get some sleep.

"You're a horrible liar Mike," Aria coaxed in the darkness. Hearing him sigh, she gave him a moment. "Its my fault this happened to you. I knew my window was open before I left the house with mom and dad, but I was too lazy to go shut it. If I did, none of this would have happened and you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Aria felt unbelieavely bad for her brother. He was carrying around this guilt for no reason. It was not his fault that she was pushed down the stairs. This was all on 'A' "That's not true Mike," she murmured quietly. "As much as you want to blame this on yourself, you had nothing to do with my accident. It wasn't your fault someone broke in. Don't think something like that.

"But!"

"No," Aria cut in. She was not going to let her brother get down about this. "Things happen, but they are not your doing. I'm fine you're fine. I'm just glad it wasn't mom or you. Please, don't blame this on yourself Mike, it was totally not your fault."

"Thanks Aria," he murmured quietly. Smiling to herself, the two laid back and fell asleep.

* * *

"I've never seen them this close," Ella murmured to Byron. Groaning, Aria began to stir. Beside her were her mom and dad smiling at her.

"What?" she croaked out. Trying to move, she felt another body beside her. Mike. Remembering last night, she gave a small smile. During the night, she woke up to him shifting like crazy in the recliner chair. So instead of making him stay there, she moved carefully to one side on the big bed and made him come up and sleep with her.

"Did you two have a good night?" Ella grinned at her children. Mike was now starting to stir and groan.

"When did you get here?" Aria wondered.

"A few minutes ago. We checked in with Wren. He said you guys have been like this for a while."

Rolling her eyes Aria shrugged.

"When do I get to go home?" she wondered.

"Not for a while," Ella said sadly. "They want to keep you a few more days because of your head and you are going to need some guidelines on how to take care of your cuts."

"Great," she groaned, lightly throwing her head back.

"Good Morning," Wren said knocking on the door and coming in. "Looks like our patient is up."

He was so happy for this early in the morning that Aria despised him in that moment.

"Not a morning person are we?" he guessed as he observed her giving him a small glare.

"Not in the least," Ella smiled to him.

"Okay well I'm just here to check in. How are you feeling Aria?"

Mike began getting out off the bed and back into his own chair, still have asleep. "I'm okay," she smiled. "My head doesn't hurt as much, and my wrist feels a little uncomfortable, but other than that I'm okay."

"Good," he chirped. "We will lower your morphine dosage and hopefully you can be fully off it tomorrow. A nurse is going to come by to re-bandage your stitches to keep them clean and you should be okay for the rest of the day."

"Thank you," Byron said as Wren checked a few things off his chart and went to leave.

"Anytime," he smiled shaking the man's hand.

"I'm going to take Mike to get a bite to eat. Aria, did you want something?" Ella asked her daughter.

"No I'm good thanks," Aria smiled to them. Watching a tired Mike get up from his chair, Ella guided him out from the room.

"So," Byron started, as they were the only two left in the room.

"I thought you had some business trip?" she wondered quietly.

"I'm not going. I think you and this family are a little more important than going to London."

A small twinge of happiness came over Aria. Her dad had picked her and her family over his job.

"I'm sorry about everything Aria," he told her, while coming closer to her bed.

"Yea," She shrugged deciding not to meet his eyes anymore.

"No Aria, I'm truly sorry. I was out of line numerous times and my problem was something that needed to be dealt with. Telling your mother was the right thing to do – I was the wrong one."

Aria looked down at her lap unsure of what to say. Her dad wasn't technically asking for forgiveness, yet he was trying to seek it anyways.

"Your mother told me she quit working at the high school. How's that going?"

"I like her being home for Mike and I," Aria spoke with honesty. "It's nice to have her home and not always busy grading papers and stuff. We see her a lot more and can go out and do things."

Byron went quiet. He couldn't seem to do that with his children a lot. Work usually came first for him and he tended to miss out on a lot of things.

"And your job? You don't mind helping your mom out?" he wondered.

"I like what I do," she shrugged thinking about the photography studio, "it's not much of a chore and pays better than most jobs. Half of what I earn mom barely takes anyways."

"A lot has changed," Byron stated. His daughter had a job, his wife had a different job that allowed her to spend more time with their kids, Ella allowed herself to take money from their daughter (which was big considering she would never allow someone to help her) and most of all he was in the backseat watching his old life go by.

"It has," Aria confirmed.

"Are you still mad?" he wondered.

Aria stayed quiet, unsure how to answer that. Was she? Or was it hurt that she was feeling? Opening her mouth to answer his question, she was cut off before she could say anything.

"Hey Mr. Montgomery," Hanna said coming in with a bright smile.

"Oh, we're interrupting aren't we?" Spencer asked sticking her head in.

"No no girls come on in. I was about to grab a cup of coffee anyways," Byron said pulling off a friendly smile.

"Oh cool," Hanna beamed.

"We brought muffins," Emily said holding up a bag.

Murmuring a goodbye, Bryon walked out from the room to give his daughter some time with her friends. Although he didn't get an answer to his question, he did see that flicker of love in Aria's eyes when they talked, and that was enough for him.

* * *

"There," Hanna smiled while putting the finishing touches on Aria's make up. "Mona did this for me when I was in the hospital and it definitely cheered me up."

"Thanks Han," Aria smiled. The thought was great – giving Aria a make over since all she could really do was sit there, but Aria didn't feel like it helped her spirits much. Her head was still in the conversation her and her dad left in the air and she couldn't seem to be shaken out of it.

"I'm surprised Jason isn't here," Spencer trailed off.

Emily and Hanna both secretly glanced at her.

"So you know then," Aria guessed.

"We ran into your mom in the cafeteria with Mike. She might of let something slip…" Emily confessed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Spencer asked.

"Its humiliating," Aria muttered, "and I'm not even sure what happened anyways. I was stood up and never called back."

"Your mom said you guys got into a fight the night before the dance. What was that about?" Hanna wondered.

"Ezra," Aria admitted. "I never told Jason about him coming back to Rosewood and being my English teacher again. He got really upset and decided to leave."

There was a pause of silence as Aria's words filled their brains. "Wait…" she paused while thinking it over, "how did you guys get on the topic of Jason when you saw my mom?"

The three went silent and Spencer bowed her head.

"Spencer…" Aria trailed dangerously at her guilty looking friend. Again, they were all quiet until one of them broke.

"He's back," Hanna confessed, unable to keep it to herself.

"Back?" Aria repeated.

"Jason must have stopped by your house last night but no one was home so he called me and I said I was at the hospital and he asked why. So I told him something happened and he pushed me to tell him. So I finally said it was you and then…well, he wanted to rush over but it was late anyways so I told him not to come. But then today, on the way over here, he tried coming again but I didn't think it was the best idea. It doesn't really matter though because he ended up coming anyways and your mom saw him," Spencer rambled. "They had some heated looking conversation…or well Jason seemed very agitated and since your mom wouldn't tell him the room number or anything, he went outside to take a walk. He hasn't stopped calling my cell phone since," she spluttered.

"Your mom was looking kind of upset afterward so we asked why and yea…" Emily added.

"Great," Aria sighed as she molded with the hospital bed. It was so much to take in at once. How was Jason 'back'? Why did he do what he did then? Why didn't he just tell her he was leaving for a while? Did this mean that they were still over then? Did Aria still want to be broken up with him?

"If it makes you feel any better, Mike and Ella told him to stay away and not visit you," Spencer partly smiled trying to make her feel better.

Slightly shaking her head, those words didn't make her feel better at all. Aria hated when her personal life was out to the open and people knew about it. It was one of the reasons she kept the Jason situation to herself. "You guys said he was back…where was he?" she asked to her friends as she tried to ties some loose thought up.

"Business trip I guess," Spencer shrugged, "he didn't say much and I didn't ask."

The girls continued to talk a while, watching as Wren came in and out from time to time to check on her vitals, along with her parents and Mike bringing her company. Out of all the times her mom went in and out of the room, she never once mentioned running into Jason and Aria was curious to why.

"Knock knock," A voice called.

"Hey," Aria smiled to the fresh face. In came Holden with some flowers and a smiling face.

"Holden," Ella smiled, enjoying the surprise too.

"Hope im not interrupting," he said, noting all the people in the room.

"Nope, come on in," Aria smiled. Shuffling inside, he gave a quick hello to her parents and went over to his friend. Giving her the patch of flowers, he tucked his hands in his pockets. "Those are for you. Uhh, I guess I should have bought a vase," he joked as he looked around the room for something to put the flowers in.

"Thanks," she smiled. Glancing to her friends, she quickly reintroduced them again to her long time best friend and had her parents pull him up a chair.

"So I heard about your fall," he commented.

"Uh… you know what, we are going to grab a soda and some snacks. Aria, did you want something?" Hanna asked her as she made her friends get up.

"No, thanks," she said, showing gratitude towards Hanna for making her and her friends leave the room.

"Aria, we have to stop home. Are you sure you're going to be okay here for a little while?"

"I'll be fine," she stated to her family. They had been hovering around her room and the hospital for hours on end and she was getting a little agitated with their constant company.

"I can stay with her till you guys are back," Holden pitched.

"Or not…" he said as he read Aria's face.

"I'll be fine here," Aria spoke again, "I'm sure Hanna, Spencer, and Emily will keep me company till my nightly check so you really don't have to be back till morning. Really," she pushed.

Ella glanced to Byron unsure of what to do. Unfortunately he seemed to reflect the same doubt. "Sounds great Aria, thanks," Mike said quickly while trying to push his parents out of the room. At least he got the cue.

"We'll see you in the morning sweetie," Ella said coming to hug her. As Byron and Mike did the same, she mouthed to her brother a quick thank you and was left to talk to Holden.

"What's up?" she asked, thinking back to the same look Mike had on his face last night. Holden stayed quiet and shifted a bit.

"You know, the damage isn't that bad. The doctors think I can go home in a few days."

"I could have been there," he admitted.

"Doing what?" she asked him. "Getting hurt too? Honestly, I don't see how you can blame yourself for this."

"If I came in the house with you I'm sure I could have done something," he muttered shaking his head.

"Or you would just be falling down the stairs with me and end up here too," she stated. Sighing when he continued to be gloomy she tried to get his attention so he would look her in the eyes. "The police already talked to me and they think it was just a random thing. Honestly, I'm sure if you talk to them they will say the same thing I am – there would have been nothing you could do. The events unraveled as they did."

Aria didn't blame anyone except 'A' for her accident. It was totally true. Holden wasn't even close to be at fault for what happened; either were Mike or her friends. When the police came into her room during the day she told them little things she remembered – like the noise and feeling a push. But she didn't talk about anything further from that. A figure standing on the stairs watching her bleed and pass out was something she didn't want to admit and Wren had even backed her up that she might not remember everything since she had a bad head injury. Anyways, the cops believed it was a random thing. The perp must have thought it would have been easy to steal something since Mike's window was open and the lights were all off. They probably didn't hear Aria come home and when they got scared they pushed her down the steps. It was a simple open and shut case according to the Rosewood Police.

"Still, I'm sorry," Holden murmured. "How are you doing?"

"Good," she shrugged. "I'm kind of bummed I can't wear heels for a while since my ankle is messed up and I'm super bummed I can't come watch your next tournament," she grinned.

Laughing a bit, Aria watched Holden blush.

"Are you guys good?" Hanna asked coming back in with food. "Or did you need more time to talk?"

"We're good," Holden smiled to Aria's friends.

"Wait, you aren't sticking around?" Aria asked as Holden got up from his chair. "No, I wish. I have to run some errands for my mom and stuff but I'll come by another day? If you want I can bring your homework from school."

"Sure," she grinned. Emily had already volunteered to do the job but having Holden come around again seemed great.

"See ya," he smiled to her and waved at her friends.

Waiting for the door to shut behind him, Spencer narrowed her eyes at her again. "Are you sure nothing is going on there?"

"Again," Aria said rolling her eyes, "he's a really good friend you guys."

"Alright," Spencer said backing off before she could get a lecture from her friend. There was a long buzzing coming from somewhere and Spencer dug out her phone. Hitting a button, she smiled and caught up with the conversation.

"Jason?" Emily whispered to Spencer. Nodding, she gave her friend a pointed look, like Jason should really be brought up again, before jumping back into Hanna and Aria's conversation.

* * *

"Finally!" Aria exclaimed as she hobbled through her front door, into her home with a bright smile on her face. After another four days in the hospital, Aria was finally allowed to come home and take it easy.

"Play you in Mario Kart," Mike said racing over to the couch where Aria was going to sit. Ella had set up a bunch of DVDs and food on the coffee table, along with pillows and blankets on the couch to make her daughter more comfortable. Even though the doctors gave her the okay to go home, they still wanted her to take it easy, which was what the weekend was for. They wanted her to ease onto walking on her ankle again since it was twisted at such an odd angle.

"You're on," Aria called to Mike as she made it to the couch at a slow pace. Getting situated, Mike handed her the wheel and they began versing each other in a long battle of games.

For the rest of the day, Aria used her time to get things done. Getting help from her dad to climb up the stairs, Byron stood by her side as she went up each step. They reached the upper part of the stairs fairly quick, and when they reached near the top, about two steps from where she could see her room she stopped. It was the exact same place she had stood before turning around and getting pushed.

"Aria? Are you alright?" her father asked.

"Yea," she said shaking her head and continuing the last few stairs. After making it all the way up, Byron helped her prop her ankle up and handed her make up work. She worked on it for a few hours before dinner with non-stop momentum. It wasn't until the doorbell rang that Aria's attention was brought from her work.

There was some chatter coming from her brother and then a slam of the front door. "Mike?" Aria called. Hearing him shuffle up the stairs, he quickly appeared. "Who was that?"

"No one," he shrugged. Knowing that he was hiding the truth, she could only guess it was Jason. "Where are mom and dad?"

"They went to get dinner. Did you need something?"

"No, just making sure everything is okay."

"It's good," he shrugged again. "I'll be in my room doing homework so if you need something just holler."

"Thanks," she smiled to him as he went out of sight. Taking a small break, Aria leaned back on her bed and tried to think of what she was going to do about Jason. Mike was being the protective brother and so were her friends. It was great and it gave Aria a good feeling to see that they had her back but she still felt something for him. She loved Jason…or she does. But Aria felt so hurt she wondered if being with him could ever be the same.

* * *

"Need help?" Mike asked his sister as their dad dropped them off from school. She slowly got out of the car and took a second to steady herself on her feet.

"I'm good," she smiled, slinging her bag further over her shoulder and pressing her books closer to her chest.

"So I have lacrosse practice today," Mike told Aria.

"And I have work," she replied.

"Okay cool. Uhh, okay see ya," he said waving to his sister as he parted ways with her.

"Wow you look different with flats," Hanna noted when Aria came up to them.

"Gee, thanks Han," Aria grumbled as they stood up to walk to their lockers. Aria was not known to wear flats to school (or anywhere) since she was short already. As a matter of fact, Aria pretty much despised flats or shoes that didn't seem to make her taller.

"At least your back in school," Emily told her.

"And work," Aria smiled.

"How's the school stuff coming along?" Spencer asked.

"Done," Aria sighed. "It took a while but I finished it all."

"Now look who's trying to be the perfect student," Hanna teased. The four of them laughed. Aria hung around Emily's locker since she had all of her books with her.

"So how was it being home? I'm sure you missed it."

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the first floor of my house so much," Aria exaggerated. Emily laughed and grabbed one of her books. "I know how you feel. When I was in the hospital, I thought I would never be getting out."

Continuing to chat with Aria, Emily saw Jason spot them and watched as he came to walk over. Going quiet, Aria looked puzzled and looked around – somewhat behind her. Jason had now approached and the two were very quiet.

"Can we talk?" Jason asked Aria. Emily was unsure what to do. Leave her friend or stay with her? Aria was looking at the floor so it wasn't like she could read her and find the solution on what to do.

"Aria? Can I see you for a moment?" Mr. Fitz asked, popping his head out of the classroom. Ezra was right across from Emily's locker and when he saw his opportunity approach, he took it.

Obligated to do what her teacher was instructing, she told Emily a quick goodbye and kept her head down when it came to Jason.

"She wont even talk to me," Jason groaned to Emily as he watched her and Mr. Fitz.

"You stood her up," Emily stated to Jason as she shut her locker. "I think that gives her a reason not to talk to you."

"Stood her up where?" Jason asked, completely confused.

"The homecoming dance? She waited for you for almost a hour."

"I told her I couldn't come," he said. "I thought I could but then something came up. I kept trying to call her a few hours before the dance to tell her I had an emergency business trip but she wouldn't pick up. I left a ton of messages on her cell and at home. I figured she was just bummed out about that or something."

"Why didn't you call days after that?" Emily wondered still a bit skeptical.

"She responded that she wanted time and thought that maybe it was best if we gave each other some space. I tried to talk to her and call her but she wouldn't pick up and then turned off her phone."

"When was this?" Emily asked now confused too. Aria never told any of them this and there was no reason for her to push Jason away since she was the one that thought he was pushing her away.

"I don't know. Maybe the night of the dance? Or the morning after?"

Drawing it all back to 'A' when he/she had Aria's cell phone, Emily immediately groaned to herself.

"What?" Jason asked her when he read the girl's face.

"Nothing, look I have to go," Emily stated when the bell rang. "I'll try and talk to Aria, but you do have more explaining to do."

"Like what?" he called to Emily as she walked down the hall and messed in with the teenage crowed.

* * *

"You're back in school," Ezra stated, shutting his classroom door after Aria answered.

"Yea," she confirmed, feeling a bit uncomfortable that it was just the two of them.

"How are you feeling? I heard about the break in. I was thinking of coming by but-"

"No, that's okay," Aria said brushing it off. "I'm fine. It's no big deal really. I just can't wear heels for a few more days but everything else is okay."

"The cut looks…"

"Worse than it is," Aria cut in, trying to cover it up again with her hair. "So you needed me for something?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you had all your make up with you. I can still give you some more time if you'd like but I had some free time so I thought I could get a head start on grading your work."

"Yea sure," she understood, "its right here." Turning her back to him, she pulled out her English things from her knapsack.

"Thanks," he said stepping forward and taking the work from her.

"I'm glad your okay Aria. Even though if we aren't…"

"Yea," Aria said quickly trying to get off the subject again. The bell rang and she couldn't have been more thankful.

"You know, if you need any more help catching up," Ezra offered behind his desk as she secured her straps on her shoulders and went to leave.

"Thanks," she said dismissed. Watching her give a quick goodbye, he noted how quick she left his room and went to class. Frowning, he hovered over his desk and tried not to think about it too much.

* * *

The day seemed to go by too slow for Aria. Her head began to hurt just after 2nd period and her ankle was starting to throb a bit too. Along with that, she made sure to dodge every place she used to see/ meet Jason at and try to avoid Ezra's helping 'teaching' hand too.

"Check this out," Spencer said setting a flyer down at their table in the cafeteria.

"That's a joke," Hanna scoffed after gazing at the poster. It was something called 'Truth Day' – a mandatory program for students.

"We actually have to spend the night at school?" Aria groaned.

"Who would ever volunteer for that?" Emily asked scanning the sheet too.

"Our parents," Spencer grumbled.

"Say what?' Hanna asked.

"I heard my mom talking to Aria's. They already signed up so I'm guessing yours will too," Spencer told them. All four of the girls groaned. "Tell me about it."

"Who even tells the truth nowadays?" Hanna rhetorically asked.

"Are we even allowed to with 'A' on our backs?" Emily questioned quietly.

Listening to her friends go on and on, Aria glanced up from her food and found Jason staring at her. If anyone else cared to notice, it would have been pretty obvious he wanted to talk to her. The way he was just standing there, leaning against the cafeteria wall with his arms crossed gazing at her. Chills began to appear on her arms and curse down her spine.

Hating the sudden reaction her body gave, Aria stabbed at her food and tuned in back to her friends.

"So next Friday huh?" she read.

"Yippee," Spencer groaned, along with the others again.

**_A/N: Soooo...how was Jason coming back into the picture? Good? Bad? Something you expected, didn't expect? Tell tell - please review!_**


	27. Chapter 27

**_A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I didn't have much time to proofread this so please excuse my errors, but there it is a double chapter. =)_**

"Thought this would be the best time to catch you out here," Jason said walking up towards the Montgomery's back porch. Knowing Aria, there was supposed to be some really great stars out tonight and then there she was – sitting on the white swing with a blanket and book.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered, closing her novel and glancing at him.

"I thought we should talk," he pitched. Aria went quiet and Jason took that as his chance to explain. "I never intentionally tried to stand you up Aria. Whatever you think I did about that night for your homecoming, I didn't. I promise you."

Inhaling, she decided to go with it. "So what happened then?"

"I don't know, but I tried calling you – to tell you I couldn't make it anymore. I was going to grovel a ton when I got back."

A smile cracked through Arias features. "But then I heard you got hurt and I was so confused. I tried to come see you but-"

"I know," Aria nodded. Her friends had told her this part. "Why didn't you call me when you were gone?"

"You wanted us to take a break," Jason claimed. "You texted me back that night after I left a bunch of messages for you saying I had a sudden business trip and you texted me that you wanted some time and space. I tried to call you after that to convince you for us to be together, but your phone went right to voicemail again."

"When was this?" Aria asked bewildered.

"I don't know, like I told Emily, maybe that night of the dance or the morning after?"

Surprised, Aria glanced up to Jason. "You talked to Emily?"

"Yea, when you guys were at her locker the other day. I've been meaning to catch you ever since but you've been avoiding me like the plague," he accused. Unfortunately, Aria didn't have a snappy comeback for that statement because it was true, but why didn't Emily tell her?

Of course, she hadn't really seen much of her friends since she missed school that day after the locker fiasco and she was with Holden just yesterday or today…

"Why would you think I'd want us to take a break?" Aria wondered still slightly confused. Everything he was saying didn't completely add up to her.

"Because we fought the last time we saw each other," he claimed. Sighing, he really looked at her. "Aria, I blew up for the stupidest reason and we both knew that. Plus, I told you, actually, I promised you I would be at this dance and I had to end up cancelling. I know those school functions mean a lot to you and I thought you were upset about that. I would never stand you up."

"Are you sure you called my house phone too?" Aria asked as she thought about all of this.

"Yea, like a dozen times," he told her. Confused on why she didn't get any of his messages that night, she raised her hands and rubbed her forehead.

"Aria!" Ella called. Twisting the knob of the backdoor, she swung it open and was surprised to see Jason standing near there. "Yea mom?" Aria asked, cutting her awkward staring silence.

"You should probably come in now, it's getting late," she instructed in a motherly tone.

"Okay," Aria said pulling the blanket off of her.

"Did you need help?" Ella asked watching her daughter.

"I got it," Aria stated, holding her book and blanket in one arm while standing up on the other. Her ankle was doing better with each day, along with her head and other wounds. "I'll see you around Jason," she murmured before going in the house and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning Aria was up early laying in bed trying to think of the predicament she was in. Jason claimed that he tried calling her many times, and maybe he did. Maybe she didn't check her phone that night when she waited for him. But then why wasn't the home phone working? Groaning, Aria turned on her side and felt her thoughts wander again. 'A' had messed with him; pretending to be her and saying she wanted space. But that didn't make sense either. Why was 'A' warning her about hurting Jason on the one hand but trying to break the relationship at the same time? 'A' was acting so bipolar…nothing was making sense anymore.

Now moving to sit up in bed, Aria leaned back against her headboard and tried to think. This whole time – getting mad at him and thinking she was stood up wasn't real, but then what about the Spencer thing. Feeling there was no explanation for that, Aria had a surge of anger inside of her. There was no foul play with 'A' involved in that one. This issue seemed to unravel by itself.

She should have seen it truthfully. The way that Spencer suddenly stopped hating on Jason and the way Jason always tried to talk to Spencer and get her to be somewhat cordial to him. Feeling overwhelmingly stupid, Aria pushed herself out of bed and got ready for the long school day.

"So I heard Jason came to see you last night," Spencer spoke when she met Aria at her locker.

"Yep," she sighed.

"So how did it go?" the Hastings wondered.

"Fine. He just came over to apologize."

Getting a weird vibe, Spencer ignored it and continued to push. "So did you forgive him?"

"Maybe," Aria shrugged, closing her locker before leaning against it.

"Okay, what's with you?" Spencer asked checking out Aria for any weirdness.

"Nothing, I think that I really have to evaluate this for myself. 'A' messed with me for a reason and maybe it was because of Jason."

"So…you're thinking Jason could be 'A'?" Spencer asked puzzled. "Aria, for the width of time you two dated each other, I can almost positively say that he's not 'A'."

"Why? You always used to think he was," Aria blamed. "Just because he's your half brother now means that he can't be the one blackmailing us."

"Woah, okay, what made you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?" Spencer snapped in a confused tone.

"Nothing," Aria sighed. "I just need more time to think."

"Okay," Spencer said trying to get off topic. "You can have as much time as you want – no one is trying to push you. And I'm here if you want to talk…"

"Thanks," Aria flatly smiled before walking off to class without even a goodbye to Spencer. Aria arrived to Physics with a groan. She didn't mean to be mean to her friend but just this whole thing with 'A' and Jason had set her off. She was so mad at the DiLaurentis for not telling her Spencer was his half sister, and she was upset that 'A' had fooled her so easily. Bearing her way till lunchtime, Aria decided to skip out on the girl chat in the cafeteria and go to the library.

"The library?" Hanna repeated with a furrowed eyebrow after Aria left them.

"I think its because she's mad at me," Spencer groaned while picking at her salad.

"Why would she be mad at you?" Emily wondered.

"Because of the whole sibling thing with Jason. I tried talking to her about it today and I think I made the whole situation worse."

"For who exactly?" Hanna asked trying to clarify the people she was talking about.

"Me…Jason…probably Aria," Spencer grumbled.

"So Aria's mad because you and Jason are siblings?" Emily asked still mixed up.

"No, I'm not quite sure why she's mad but I think I pried a little too far."

"Do you think they will get back together?" Hanna wondered after a bit of silence.

"I wasn't really sure if they were officially apart," Emily claimed.

"Me either," a male voice claimed behind them.

"Jason," Spencer stated in surprise. Both Hanna and Emily seemed embarrassed of their words.

"Have you guys seen Aria?" he wondered.

"She went to the library," Hanna quipped for him.

"Did she eat?" he asked them worriedly.

"I think she might have brought her lunch with her?" Emily guessed, while her other friends didn't have a clue.

"Thanks," he said before walking off to find her.

"Well, lets hope that goes well," Spencer muttered before they moved onto a different topic.

* * *

Aria hid in the way back of the library where nobody would be. Peace and silence was what she was aiming for, and it was just what she was able to get. For a while she sat there on the floor thinking about what she was going to do with her life. At one point she had everything she wanted and now? Now she was just an angry hurt mess.

"Never thought you would be the one to hide," Jason claimed as he walked up to her.

"How'd you find me?" she wondered.

"We seem to be the talk of your lunch table," he announced coming to sit down with her. Aria let out a dry laugh and checked off the thought in her head. She knew that that would happen. As soon as she announced she was off to the library she was given weird looks.

"What are you doing here Ar?" Jason questioned as she sat there all alone.

"Trying to figure out my life," she sighed, leaning her head back against the stack of books.

"What is there to solve?" he asked.

"A lot," she claimed. Glancing away from him, she picked at her knapsack.

"Talk to me," he pushed, nudging her softly.

"I can't," she spoke sadly. The phrase felt like a stab to the gut for Jason and he swallowed his emotions stirring inside him so he could ask why. "I don't know where we stand anymore," she replied.

"We can still figure it out," he declared softly. "Its not like we are out of time or our relationship is a one time thing."

Keeping quiet, Aria wondered if that was really true. To her, their relationship with each other did feel like a one time thing. It was so epic that she worried that if they each had a second chance, it would be too screwed up to continue. Plus, Aria had to face the fact that she wasn't big on second chances.

"We used to tell each other everything – we shouldn't stop now," he told her in the silence. Thinking back to the times they had together, what he said felt true. Except for the subject of 'A', Aria did tell him everything. Of course, he didn't though. Now she wanted to scoff at the statement. _She_ told him everything, but _he_ didn't.

"Were you ever going to tell me Spencer was your half sister?" Aria blurted out with blame.

Stunned at what he was hearing, Jason took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "I tried to think of every scenario possible of why you wouldn't tell me or why you felt the need to wait, but what I came up with just…didn't make sense," she sighed. "I get that you might have wanted to keep it a secret till we got further along in our relationship but I never thought…"

Aria stopped, unsure of what she was really saying; and it was until the bell ring that she finally ended her sentence. "I guess I just never thought your distrust of me would hurt this bad." Getting up from her spot in the library, she swiftly scooped up her bag and walked out from the library with Jason still sitting there frozen.

* * *

More time seemed to pass and between work and school, Aria barely realized it was now Friday. She had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, which allowed her to stay home and have a day to herself instead of suffering through the long school day.

Ever since 'A' had pushed her down the stairs, she found it harder and harder to push through the day. Her happiness was on low, except for when she was at work, and she couldn't seem to control her emotions.

Cleaning up her lunch plate, Aria glanced at the clock and found it was almost time to leave. Taking her keys, purse and phone in hand, she made sure she didn't miss anything and locked up the front door on her way to the hospital.

"So how is the lovely lady today?" Wren asked as he came into see her.

"Hoping she can wear heels," Aria stated with a hopeful look. Wren let out a chuckle and nodded. "Well let's check everything out and see shall we?"

Nodding, Aria spent a few hours at the hospital, running some last few follow up tests and charting her progress.

"It seems your stomach has fully healed," Wren claimed while looking at the scar. "How's the wrist?" he wondered.

"Its been fine, no problems," she smiled as she held it up. Bending down to her ankle, Wren carefully glanced at it. "And the ankle?"

"Nothing too bad," Aria claimed.

"Aria," Wren said elongating her voice in his accent as he glanced up at her. "You know it's in your best interest if you tell me everything right?"

Sighing, Aria stared at Wren for a while before giving in. "I still feel a bit of pain but nothing I can't handle," she quickly put.

With a very doctorly look on his face, he had her get up from the bed and show him when and how badly it hurt.

"Please say I can wear heels again," she pleaded as he wrote a few notes down on his clipboard.

"If I do, you have to promise to start gradual. Don't just jump into them right away."

"Wont jump," she said repeatedly nodding, "I'll just slide right in, easily and smoothly," she joked.

Cracking a smile, the two looked at each other. "I'll wear them in moderation," she promised.

"For only a few hours at a time until your ankle can build up the tolerance again. I don't want you coming back in here injured and hurt."

"Yes sir," she smiled to him while getting giddy about her good news.

"As for your head things are looking good. Did you end up finishing the bottle of pain pills I prescribed for you?"

"No," she said getting back to being serious, "I mostly tried to handle the pain. I'm almost positive I still have about half of the meds left."

"Okay well good. Then you can stop taking those and I don't think we need to see each other again Ms. Montgomery," Wren smiled before signing off on her chart.

"Hey Wren? Can I ask you a question?" Aria wondered.

"Sure," he said sticking his pen in his coat pocket.

"Do you believe people are meant for each other?"

"Pardon?" he questioned with a tilt of his head.

"I just…I don't know. You and Spencer have a way of finding each other again and again. You must have a reason for continually being with her right?"

He hesitated for a few seconds, "yea sure. But may I ask what you are getting at?"

"Love," she muttered. "It's complicated."

"I think it's meant to be," Wren stated, "if it were easy, there would be missing passion and connection. To establish something real…it has to be dramatic. It has to feel real in order to be real."

Watching her sit in silence, Wren let out a breath and set his arms at his sides. "It's different for everyone Aria. If you have something special with someone you shouldn't hold back."

"Even if it's dangerous?"

"Is someone hurting you?" Wren asked with a furrowed eyebrow.

"What? No," she answered quickly with raised eyebrow, "I just mean dangerous like you feel like you could lose something if you're not with the person."

"I'm not sure if I understand what you mean," he stated, pulling up a chair.

"That fatal attraction type of thing – but its not really fatal," she added with a rush of breath. "Is it always worth it to deal with the talk and challenges that come with a relationship? I mean, are people supposed to feel like they belong with the other person? Do you feel that way about Spencer?"

Baffled, he tried to take in her questions. "Well…I-I…" Wren closed his mouth and tried to start again – this time making it a little less personal while also trying to answer her questions. "Depending on the risk, it might be worth it to take it," he acknowledged. For some reason there were so many cryptic words flying around the room, he couldn't seem to get his head straight. "And I'm not sure about what Spencer and I feel for each other. But for now, it's enough for both of us. I'm not saying you should ever settle Aria, but there is a time and place to pick a fight or sort through words of an argument and sometimes you have to let them go."

"Does that help?" he questioned when she kept quiet.

"Yea, thanks," she slowly nodded. Pushing back on his rolly chair, he got up and made sure she was getting down from her place too.

"I'll see you around Aria. Tell Spencer I said hello yes?"

"Sure," she mumbled as she watched him walk away.

"So?" her mother asked as she came through the door.

"I'm good to wear heels again," she faintly smiled as she set her things down.

"That's great sweetie," Ella smiled but then soon started to frown, "but I thought you would look a little more happy."

"I am," Aria pushed, trying to make her smile seem more believable. "I just have be sort of gradual into them and they can't be for too long periods of time. I can also stop taking the pain pills for good and everything else looks okay," she informed her mom.

"So no more rechecks?" Ella wondered.

"Nope," Aria confirmed. "Not unless I run into any more problems and I don't plan on doing so."

"Good," Ella smiled again, this time running a hand over her daughter's hair. Aria had seemed a bit more glum these past few times she had interacted with her and she wondered why. "Is there else you want to talk about?"

"No, just tired," Aria sighed, snuggling into her mom. Touched by her daughter's actions, Ella made sure the two of them felt comfy and relaxed for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Mike," Jason rushed out when he opened the door. "Is Aria around?"

"She's sleeping on the couch," he stated flatly. As he came walking back in the house after his lacrosse practice, he saw his mom sneaking out from Aria's grasp. She had must of fallen asleep on her and now Ella had to go out and grab dinner for them. So as their mom left, Mike took back the protective brother stance.

It was easy to grasp when Jason saw him after he opened the door and he knew he was doing it too. It was the reason Mike slammed the door in his face when Aria got home from the hospital and it was the reason he was never out playing ball or at the center anymore. Mike was a smart kid – picking up that his older sister was hurt and it was because of him.

"Can you give her a message for me? And please make sure this gets to her?" Jason asked of the teen.

"Sure," Mike shrugged.

Hesitant, Jason trusted the junior Montgomery enough to relay his message to Aria. "I'm being called out of town again – just for a few days, maybe a week at tops, but can you tell Aria? I came over here to tell her myself so we wouldn't run into communication errors again but…"

"Yea, I got it. Don't worry," Mike said lightening up his attitude a bit. "I'll tell her – promise."

"Thanks," Jason said. Glancing into the house again, he hoped Aria would wake up. But instead, there was silence and Jason turned his back to the door. Sullenly walking down the steps, he checked his watch and saw he was going to be late to catch his plane.


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N: One of my favorite chapters - Truth day! I wished it happened like this in the show... Oh well, here you guys go! (Again, sorry for the errors).  
**_

Mike did pass on Jason's message to Aria when she woke up. She was a bit surprised that Mike was telling her and Jason had to leave again, but was glad that it all wasn't left with a message on the answering machine.

**Emily's ASAP** – Spencer texted her. Skipping dinner, Aria got up from the couch and went to refresh her look.

"I'll be back later Mike," she called to him from the kitchen. He called back with a 'see ya' and she left quickly. Approaching the Fields house, she opened the door and walked in. Going up the stairs, she heard her friends' voices and some crying.

"What's going on?" Aria asked opening the door wider.

"You didn't hear?" Spencer asked as the two of them held onto Emily.

"No," Aria said setting down her things and hugging onto her friend too.

"Maya was declared missing," Emily sniffled. A jolt of surprise shook her and she held her friend with stiff arms. "When did this happen?"

"She was declared missing this afternoon," Spencer told her.

"How?" Aria asked looking to Emily who was curled in a ball around them. "I thought she was in California with family."

"I don't know," Emily cried. "The last email I got from her was saying she didn't want to come back but then when I talked to her parents the other day, they said she was coming home. I guess she never showed."

"Do we know if 'A' had something to do with this?" Hanna wondered.

"Not a good time to bring that up," Spencer grumbled as Emily crumbled even more.

"Its okay," Aria said clearly distraught too. "It will be okay."

* * *

The week was a hard one and didn't seem to get any better. The news of Maya missing had Rosewood digging up information about Ali and the girls didn't want to deal with it. It made Emily a wreck and set the rest of them on edge. The Fields girl was barely getting through the days and looked horrible. It didn't help either that Maya's parents decided they couldn't deal with everything in Rosewood and moved away. They also told Emily to stay away for a while since she reminded them of their daughter. It was like a slap to the face and it wasn't until the girls came together and helped their friend try and move on that Emily showed improvement.

**911** – Hanna texted.

Curious to what it was about, especially lat at night, Aria took a break from her attempt on homework and went to get changed out of her sweats.

"Mom, I'm heading to Hanna's for a little while. Did you need anything?"

"Nope, your brother and I were thinking of bringing home some Lucky Leon's baked goods though. Are you going to be home to eat them with us?"

"Yea," she smiled while grabbing her purse. Kissing her mom before she made her way out, she waved goodbye to Mike and went to the Marin's.

"Wait, back up," Aria commanded as Hanna went through her story. "Caleb knows what exactly."

"A lot more than what we originally thought," Spencer stated.

"I didn't know he would catch on that much," Hanna said exasperated. "Its not like I want him to get hurt you guys. He's just been on this rampage because he thinks someone's hurt me."

"And you couldn't set him straight?" Emily asked with appall. Her emotions hadn't been the greatest these past few days but the girls trudged through it anyways.

"By saying what?" Hanna snapped back, "that I'm not getting stalked or blackmailed by someone? That the evidence 'A' gave to Mona isn't going to put my mom in jail even though it will?"

The girls sighed. During the long weekend, 'A' had started bringing other people into her game like Mona. It was a real problem, especially since 'A' seemed to have unfinished business with the Marin's.

"It doesn't help that Jenna and Garrett went public with their relationship. Ever since we dangled that bone in front of him he's been glaring at the two of them non stop."

"What did you just say?" Spencer asked Hanna.

"You guys didn't know? Jenna and Garrett went public with their relationship last night. Looks like we lost whatever dirt we had on them."

"Great," Emily sighed weakly.

"Just what we need," Aria groaned.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Hanna said completely freaking out in the middle of her kitchen.

"First, take a breath," Aria instructed.

"Maybe if we keep steering Caleb away from Jenna and Garrett he'll cool off a bit and stop poking around."

"We just need to watch him a lot more carefully than before," Aria noted.

"Until we simmer him down, he needs to be put on a leash," Spencer commented.

"We just keep him away from Jenna. Garrett wont be a problem in school," Emily said tiredly.

"And as for his computer, he needs to stop with all his techno stuff. If he keeps digging around Aria's bugged phone and all that stuff we could be in some serious trouble with 'A'," Spencer added.

"Right got it," Hanna said trying to process it all.

"Don't worry Han, we'll help you," Aria noted. Giving her a small smile, the girls talked a while later before going home again.

Caleb seemed to be catching on too quickly and it was trouble for the girls. He already knew they were suspicious of Jenna and Garrett for Ian's murder and some other things. Alongside that, he helped fix Aria's phone and knew there was something more to that, which was making him dig deeper. It led him to drawing the right conclusions and putting together that the sabotage with Aria's phone had a lot to do with her crumbled relationship with Jason. Lets also not forget he's been observant with Hanna and her phone too. He takes in the tiniest detail and can pick up pretty well on when she is hiding something or possibly lying.

The girls all knew he was getting too close to solving the puzzle, and when things like that happen, 'A' gets upset and then you end up like Hanna did- run over and hit by a car. So what were they going to do? Caleb seemed to be on a personal vendetta to call Jenna out and they all knew it was not going to end well…

* * *

By the next week, Emily was doing a lot better while Hanna was not. Emily had gotten a grip on herself with the extra time she had for the weekend. Her and her mom talked, having a heart to heart and it seemed to really help Emily's emotions. She was no longer changing from mood to mood or ready to bite someone's head off, and she was dealing with the Maya situation, moving forward from it. The only thing Emily seemed to be worried about was if 'A' was involved, but there was no evidence of that yet. Hanna seemed to be having a bit more trouble. Keeping Caleb away from Jenna and Garrett was harder than she thought and she had to reel in her friends for help numerous times. He seemed to be set on getting to the two of them and 'saving' Hanna. He also began picking up on her lies or slips of a story. It was not looking good.

And as truth day came along, the girls couldn't have dreaded it more. Even though it was a Friday, it felt like a Monday. The students of Rosewood High were supposed to attend this event with a mandatory sentence and parents were still wanted.

"Its so pointless to sleep at school," Spencer stated.

"And gross," Hanna said with a disgusted look on her face.

"At least its only for a night," Emily added.

"What could go wrong in one night?" Aria grumbled while picking at her food.

"Aria! Way to jinx us," Hanna explained.

"I was being sarcastic anyways," Aria claimed. "I mean come on, with 'A' hanging around and we being confined into school? Something is bound to happen."

"Awesome," Spencer said pushing away her food and sitting back in her seat. Folding her arms over each other she hated to admit that Aria was right. They were even bigger and easier targets in school.

"I just want this to be over with," Hanna sighed pushing her food back too.

"We all do," Emily said with a sigh of her own as she picked at her salad.

The school day wrapped up too fast and before the girls knew it, their parents were arriving at the building to volunteer and the girls had their sleeping bags, pillows, and other things in hand. They each picked a line, standing there waiting to be registered in when Mr. Tamboreli each directed them in different spots. Groaning even more, each girl stood there and waited.

"Guess who has a tournament next Friday?" Holden asked sneaking up behind Aria.

"Oh yea?" she turned over her shoulder to question. Shining with a smile, the two talked while waiting in line.

"It should be pretty easy but I thought if you were still in to be my cover and were free…"

"I'll be there," she nodded.

"Yea?" he asked with a grin of his own. Stepping up in line, Mr. Tamboreli came up to them and moved Holden to a different line. "I'll see you then," he called to her.

Blushing to herself, Aria bowed her head and continued to grin.

* * *

**Where are you guys? – **Hanna wondered.

**History room** – Aria texted back. Sighing, she continued to sit there with her legs crossed in her new high heels her mom bought her for her recovery and waited for any familiar face.

"Thank god," she muttered to herself when she saw Caleb walk in.

"Were you just as panicked as I was when I didn't see anyone I really knew here?" he asked as he pulled up a chair next to her.

"You have no idea," she whispered back playing with her phone in her hands. Caleb looked down at it and stared for a while.

"So are you or Hanna ever going to tell me the whole truth?" he wondered, "or do I have to wait for today." Aria glanced at him and was unsure what to say. "Maybe I should try a different friend this time and see if I can get a different answer. Spencer maybe? Actually, I think Emily may be easier."

"You're mad," she claimed turning to face him.

"I'm frustrated," he fixed, "and I'm worried – for Hanna."

Aria went quiet again. It was understandable. But then again, the more he got angry, worried and/ or frustrated, the more it put the girls and Hanna in trouble.

"You know this day is so stupid," Aria claimed in the silence.

"No one tells the truth anymore," he added, no longer feeling the hot anger he just expressed as he agreed with Aria.

Waiting for the time to begin, Aria checked and responded to a few more text messages on her phone and slouched in her chair. When was this going to begin? Glancing up at the doorway, in walked Mrs. Hastings and…Jason?

"You've got to be kidding me," Aria muttered to herself. Caleb glanced at her and the man staring at her. "Still separated or something?"

"Yea, something like that," she replied as she continued to stare at him. Jason was modeling a fresh new haircut, a nice light blue button up with a dark navy tee under it. He looked great – handsome is what Aria was thinking, but she didn't want to voice that. Giving her a small smile, Jason walked to the table and started setting out some cards.

"Maybe we will be getting something out of this night after all," Caleb stated as she crossed his arms. Looking for the person to catch his eye, Aria saw Jenna come in and sit down.

_Great_ she moaned in her head as she slouched further in her chair. What was she going to do about this?

**Big problem** – Aria texted to her friends, **Jenna in my room with Caleb. What should I do?**

**Don't let him do anything stupid** – Spencer replied.

**Please don't let him get himself into trouble Aria** – Hanna immediately sent.

**Be careful. Make sure he doesn't say anything that could tempt Jenna into something bad** – Emily warned.

Not feeling any better about her friends' text messages, Aria went to stand up and leave. "I can't do this."

"I don't think you have a choice," Caleb claimed as he moved to stop her. He was right unfortunately and before she could even register it herself, he had her sitting back in her seat. "Besides, this might be better than we thought."

Internally groaning again, Aria glanced to Caleb and wished she wasn't here.

"Okay, I think we are ready to begin," Mrs. Hastings said coming to the front of the room. "For all of you that don't know me, my name is Mrs. Hastings. Over here is Jason," she said pointing to the male beside her.

Aria had a hard time keeping her head down since most of the time she sat there Jason seemed to be staring at her. Even if she wasn't looking, she could feel him looking at her and it slightly bothered Aria.

"We are going to be passing around pieces of paper and you all will write anything you feel like you need to get off your chest," Mrs. Hastings instructed. Before she could get any further, Aria's phone beeped which startled the whole class.

"Aria," Mrs. Hastings disproved.

"Sorry," Aria said as everyone turned to look at her. Quickly glancing at the unknown text, she went pale. **Hush little Caleb don't say a word or poor Hanna will have to find another computer nerd – A**

Snapping her phone closed, Aria made sure the power was off and wrapped her arms around herself. If the two of them could get through this night, she would be the happiest girl alive.

* * *

"You know he hasn't stopped staring at you since he walked in the room," Caleb muttered to her as they were starting to conclude to a break.

"I know," she claimed as she reached for her purse near the side of her chair. "Hanna is in the Chem lab if you want to go find her."

"Thanks," he murmured before getting up, giving a longing glare to the blind Jenna and walked out of the room to go find his girlfriend.

She had just survived part one to the whole 'truth day' thing. Besides their break now, they had about another hour of talking after this and then they could rest again before the concluding 'truth day' activity for the night. Aria couldn't wait. Caleb had put her so far on edge for the two hours, not to mention Jason too. Caleb had outspoken after Jenna took a fit about not wanting to write something down on the piece of paper. She was offered help, but Jenna didn't seem to want it. Of course, this fueled Caleb and he smart mouthed her. Not a good idea in Aria's book.

"Aria," Jason claimed, sliding in between her and the doorway before she could leave the room. There were only a few people left, Mrs. Hastings not included. She had left to go get tape to hang up the papers that the students had anonymously written in invisible ink.

"Jason," she said waiting for him to move out of the way.

"Can we talk?" he asked her. Moving out of the way for some students he continued to look at her.

"Jason are you – oh," Mrs. Hastings said, coming in on the two of them. "I can come back if you two need more time."

"No," Aria quickly answered, "I was just leaving."

Nodding, Mrs. Hastings watched as Jason sullenly let her go past him. "She'll come around," she noted in a motherly tone. "Just keep working on her."

"Thanks," he murmured, watching Aria walk out of sight before helping the adult with the pieces of paper.

Aria ended up in a place where she never thought she would really be. Accidently coming into the music room was something she didn't really plan, but was glad on doing. Sitting on a stool, she picked up a guitar and strummed it. She closed her eyes enjoying the sound. It was way better turned than she had at home and was a decent size too. _**[Aly and & AJ – No One]**_

"_I am moving through the crowd  
Trying to find myself  
Feel like a guitar that's never played  
Will someone strum away?"_

Plucking at the strings a little harder, she continued her song. "_And I ask myself  
Who do I wanna be?  
Do I wanna throw away the key?  
and invent a whole new me  
and I tell myself  
No One, No One  
Don't wanna be  
No One  
But me.._

_You are moving through the crowd  
Trying to find yourself  
Feelin' like a doll left on a shelf  
Will someone take you down?And you ask yourself  
Who do I wanna be?  
Do I wanna throw away the key?  
and invent a whole new me  
Gotta tell yourself  
No One, No One  
Don't wanna be  
No One  
But me.._

_Your life plays out on the shadows of the wall  
You turn the light on to erase it all  
You wonder what it's like to not feel worthless  
So open all the blinds and all the curtains_

No One, No One  
Don't wanna be  
No One  
But me..

_We are moving through the crowd_..." Aria placed a few more notes on the guitar.

"Wow," Spencer stated when she finished. The three friends and Caleb were crowded in the front of the room listening to her with opened mouths.

"When did you start playing?" Emily wondered.

"Or sing?" Hanna asked incredulous. "Why didn't you tell us you could sing?"

Feeling completely exposed and uncomfortable, Aria shifted on the stool and shrugged. "Never really came up I guess."

"Never came up?" Spencer asked with her arms crossed, "is that the story you really want to stick with?"

Biting her lip, Aria glanced at the doorway and surprisingly found Jason.

"We'll give you some time," Emily supplied, dragging her friends away.

"You're not getting away with that excuse," Spencer declared as she was drawn out of the room. After they left, silence set in between the pair. Aria was a bit curious to how Jason found her, but then again, her friends found her too.

"Still as good as I remember," he stated as he moved away from the doorway and to her. "New song?"

"Yea," she stated softly as she put down the guitar.

"So we haven't really had a chance to talk," he claimed.

"How was your business trip?" she wondered, trying not to get too personal.

Getting what she was doing, he answered but it was more hesitant like he didn't want to talk about this in particular. "It was good. Not too eventful."

"What did you have to go for?" she spoke up again.

"There is a large buyer looking into a piece of real estate and he wanted me there."

"You look like you got a nice tan," she added getting up from her seat.

"Yea it was in California but wait, Aria," he called as she went to walk off. "We seriously should talk."

"About what," she sighed before spinning around.

"Us," he stated like it was the obvious. Aria went hushed and folded her arms over each other. "Every time I want to talk about it, I feel like you're trying to run away from me," he claimed.

Not getting an answer from her, or even a glance for that matter, he walked over to her, but kept a distance so she wouldn't feel like she had to run away. "Why does this seem so uncomfortable for you?"

She wanted to say something, anything really, but she wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling anymore. She loved Jason – she knew it in her head and her soul. Everything she felt for him was running from the top of her head down to the tips of her toes. So then why was she being like this?

She couldn't trust him that's for one. She still can't – or maybe she can. Aria felt completely turned around in circles. Then there was the fact that he still could be in association with 'A'. She didn't think it was true but then again, she was thinking she just didn't want to see that he possibly could. Of course a ton of things didn't add up, but there were a few open-ended things – the hockey stick for one.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk I will," he said stepping forth. Aria hesitated when it came to his distance. He was kind of like the light for a fly. She felt drawn to him even though she knew she was going to get burned.

"I didn't tell you about Spencer because I wasn't sure if you were ready to hear it," he stated. "And truthfully, I don't know if I was ready to admit it."

"You and your mom went around town tracking down the Hastings and talking to them about it. I highly doubt that was the case," she said thinking she just caught him in a lie.

"No, you saw my mom and Mr. Hastings always talking," he reported, "but the times I spoke to the Hastings wasn't for brotherly reasons. Most of the time it was about property line issues."

"Nothing else?" she wondered.

"I did confront him once about his family," Jason said taking another careful step towards her. "At times, I had a hard time dealing with my life. When I went to him one day, I wanted him to tell his wife and family. I thought that the secret should be out, but he shut me down. He told me it would never happen, so I got mad and left. And then the next day, after thinking about it again, I was glad that he didn't want to tell his family. What they had was an actual family and I was unsure if I wanted to break that up."

Running a hand through his hair like he usually did, he glanced up to Aria. "Sometimes the truth hurts more than it sets you free. And with this secret I was battling my inner self so much that I couldn't see clear."

Aria knew exactly what he meant when she applied it to herself and her relationship with Jason. Lately she had been taking on both sides of her thoughts and it led her nowhere. "So why did you finally decide to tell Spencer?"

"I didn't," he said now finally coming close enough to touch her. "She figured it out herself."

Aria gave a small laugh to that. It was a Hastings trait, she should have guessed.

"She confronted me and told me she knew. I guess Mr. Hastings did end up telling the Mrs. and then she figured it all out from there. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you," he murmured as he bowed his head to try and get her to look at him.

Finally after a few moments, Aria got enough confidence to look at him. Watching carefully, she observed as he put his hands on her upper arms. "I would never try to hurt you – or us," he said. "I love you and I would never want to lose you."

Lost in where this was going, Aria took a step back and bowed her head to the floor. _Say 'I love you too'!_ the voice screamed in her head.

"Aria, come on," Caleb said sticking his head in through the doorway and interrupting the moment. Glancing to Jason, she backed up and walked off with Caleb back to the truth day session.

There was a blue light over all the pieces of paper that were hung up. Many of them were things about drugs, loosing their virginity or drinking, but there were a few that stuck out. One in particular was from 'A' and that had Aria nearly ready to flip out from the room.

**So many secrets, so little time – A**

Jason walked back in the room, chatting with Mrs. Hastings while all the students looked them over. Of course, 'A's comment was pretty much overlooked since this was all anonymous, but to Aria, this was huge. Could she now conclude that Jenna was 'A'? Or did someone maybe slip this into the pile or hang this up themselves?

Going through another long session of lecturing and how important it is to try and start telling the truth, everyone was dismissed again. Caleb ended up going his own way this time and Aria went straight for her friends.

"You wont believe what I saw," she said to them in a huddle. Giving them the full story, all the girls were once again shocked.

"So 'A' has to be Jenna then," Spencer said.

"I don't know, like Aria said, someone could have gone in there and taped that up," Emily spoke.

"You guys," Hanna said now starting to look all around, "where is Caleb?"

Puzzled, all four of them began looking around. "Jenna isn't around here either," Aria stated.

"Perfect," Hanna snapped.

"Split up and look for him. Aria, turn on your phone," Spencer instructed before they all broke up and went to search for him.

Aria searched the music room, the History room and was looking in the cafeteria where the school had cleared for the students to sleep. Finding him nowhere, she went to go check up on the roof. Apparently Hanna and Caleb spent some time up there while on their last break.

Aria put a brick between the door's opening and began shouting for Caleb. It was quite windy up there with the plastic sheets flying all around making noise.

"Caleb!" she called into the open space. Leaving the doorway, Aria checked a few corners before hearing something. "Caleb?"

The wind blew in her ears, along with the flapping plastic and shivers were starting to roll down her spine. Something wasn't right now. Hurrying back to the door, she saw that the brick was missing and it was shut. Tugging on the handle, nothing seemed to budge and Aria was panicking. She began calling for help but it wasn't like anyone would be able to hear her.

There was an odd sound coming from somewhere behind her and it made Aria scurry for some different grounds. Looking all around, Aria found a ladder to the higher part of the roof. Running over to it, she began climbing. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her ankle and started tugging.

"Ah! Get off!" Aria screamed. Looking down, she found Noel, who was tugging on her hard. "Get away from me!"

"Where's your pal Caleb?" He asked her as he kept trying to pull her down. Aria was holding onto the sides of the ladder for dear life, feeling her start to slip as he continued to pull.

"Let go!" she called again. There was a loud thud and then the pressure on Aria's ankle vanished. Securing herself, she looked down and found Noel on the ground with Holden standing in a fighting stance.

"Aria, come on down," Holden instructed as he watched Noel groan on the ground. Holden had kicked the back of his knee, probably injuring him pretty badly.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I wasn't attacking her you idiot," Noel snapped as he was panting in pain on the floor.

"Sure looked like it to me," Holden stated as he guided Aria back to the stairwell and kicked the brick form the door so Noel was now trapped up there.

**_A/N: Please review on both chapters! I'm hoping to get over 100 reviews by the time I end this story and mark it complete. Think I can do it? Please Please drop some more reviews!_**


	29. Chapter 29

**_A/N: I'm behind I know. So sorry for only the two chapter update and none yesterday, it should be like...a triple update today, but I really don't have time to proofread. I'm barely keeping up with the days - time is flying by too fast. Bear with me and review on the last bits of 'Truth Day'! =)_**

Aria ran as fast as she could down the stairway and back to the school grounds. With tears in her eyes, she made sure to keep her back to Holden as she tried to gather some bearings.

"Hey you okay?" he asked her gently.

Nodding, she took in some breaths to try and calm herself. As Holden went to speak again, Jason ended up rounding a corner and spotting them.

"Hey time to go back to your class," he told them, not realizing one of them was Aria. Holden was stuck for a second, wondering if it was right to separate from his friend.

Jason was practically ready drag the guy to where he needed to go, "Dude come on–"

"Aria?" Jason said as he stopped near Holden with a hand on his shoulder. Taken back that he was near her, she quickly turned so he couldn't see her face and she wiped away her fallen tears. "Yea," she said sniffling in the slightest.

"Go on to class, I got this," Jason instructed to the unfamiliar kid. Holden hesitated again, still only getting a look to Aria's back before he left. After he disappeared from sight, Jason put a hand on Aria's shoulder. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Aria said sniffling a bit still.

"Did he hurt you?" Jason asked checking Aria over for injuries.

"Who Holden?" she asked still wiping away some invisible tears on her cheeks. "No, not at all."

"Then what happened?" he pushed.

"I just…" tears started to well up in her eyes again and Jason became even more worried. Pulling her into a hug, he let her take some time to compose herself. "It's okay, I'm okay," she sniffled after a few seconds in his arms.

Jason would have asked more questions if it wasn't for the stupid final truth activity that they were late for. Wiping her away tears away, he took the responsible route and made sure they got going. "We're late."

Agreeing, Aria went to take a step but immediately stopped as she let out a cry of pain. He caught her just in time; she would have been on the floor if it weren't for him. Holding her close, he set Aria down on the floor gently.

"What is it?" he asked analyzing her.

"My ankle," she hissed, reaching over to take off the heel. The area was already starting to swell, and when Jason tried to touch it – being careful – she whimpered in pain.

"Will you go get my mom?" she asked with teary eyes. Nodding, Jason stared at her for a moment before running off to get her. Aria only sat there for about a minute or two before Jason came hustling back with Ella in tow. Both of them had concerned looks.

"Looks like the really high heels were a bit too soon huh?" Ella asked as she came to sit in front of her. Aria wasn't exactly ready to tell the truth so she just nodded as Ella examined the injury.

"Jason, will you go get some ice? And maybe a few towels to prop her ankle up?"

"Sure," he said glancing between the Montgomerys as he got up to leave.

"What's going on with you two?" Ella wondered nonchalantly as she held Aria's ankle in her lap. Running a finger just barely over it, Aria let out a cry.

"It hurts that much Aria?" Ella asked concerned. Aria nodded, closing her wet pools to try and stop the flooding tears. "We might have to take you to the ER."

"No please," Aria begged. She didn't want to go, especially since she barely just got out of there.

"We can see if the swelling goes down in a few hours," her mom said taking the ice from Jason. "If not then we really should take you in. I'm sure Wren wont mind and its best to get this looked at."

Sighing, Aria put her head against the wall behind her. Both her mom and Jason were concerned for her. How could his of happened? And why did this happen? Why was Noel looking for Caleb?

"I should go back and find a fill in," Ella said snapping her away from her thoughts.

"I can just stay with her if you would like," Jason suggested. "Veronica Hastings is already doing the activity without me."

"Are you sure?" Ella asked, also looking at her daughter for any signs of a problem.

"No, go ahead, I got this," he said gently trying to take Aria's ankle into his lap. Hissing a bit, he settled it down easy and made sure Aria was okay.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Ella murmured before leaning down to kiss her head. "Thanks Jason."

"Of course," he said watching Ella leave.

"Thank you," Aria told him too.

"How's it feel?" he asked brushing the comment away. She had already said it numerous times as the time passed.

"Okay," she said trying to move it a bit without wincing.

"How'd you get it?" he asked her trying to slip the question in and catch her off guard.

"The heels...they were just too soon I guess," she shrugged, taking the route of lying to him for both their sakes. If Jason was to ever find out it was Noel who had done this to her, he would be a dead man. And plus, then Aria would have to tell Jason about looking for Caleb and that could possibly end in moving towards an 'A' filled conversation which she didn't need.

"So what brought you back?" Aria asked trying to ask a question before he could ask another one.

"What do you mean?" he wondered, looking up from her ankle to her.

"Why are you back here?"

"I live here," he asked slightly bewildered.

Finding her point slightly harsh, especially since he didn't fully get it, she left it alone. "Did you come back today?"

"Yea," he nodded, "I got in around dinner time and Mrs. Hastings caught me on the way up my driveway saying the school needed more last minute volunteers."

"How was the week without me?" he questioned casually.

"Not much to say," she said while thinking the opposite.

"Would it help my case if I said I missed you?"

Aria bowed her head and smiled a bit. She missed him too – a lot.

Catching her smile, Jason's face seemed to brighten up. For the times that he had seen Aria after the whole mistaken communication thing, it seemed like the hope of their relationship ever resurrecting was never going to come true. But seeing her smile gave him hope – and he could continue to hang on if she was going to smile and blush like that around him.

"Think I'm okay now?" Aria wondered impatiently. Taking off the ice gently, Jason glanced at it and touched it. Tensing and letting out a small hiss gave him the answer of a no. "In a rush to get back to truth day?" he teased.

Returning the smile again, she let out a small laugh. "More like ready to get out of this hallway so we aren't trampled by the kids who come running out of their classrooms for freedom."

This time, it was Jason who gave a chuckle. Silence set in between them and they found it comforting. There was no more harsh words or feelings towards their unset relationship and there were no more lingering questions. Well…maybe a few.

"Why'd you write you hated your life on the paper?" Jason asked her with a neutral face. As much as he wanted to be open minded about her answer, he was concerned and angry she would put that. She shouldn't be angry at the life she was living and he was partially hurt he let that happen. Glancing up at him, she seemed surprised.

"I thought that those were anonymous."

"They are," he confirmed while checking on her ankle again, "but I can identify your handwriting anywhere."

"Isn't that kind of cheating the system? How am I supposed to tell the truth anonymously when you can pick out what I say?"

"I wasn't meaning to look for it," he noted. "I was just putting them up with Veronica and happened to stumble across yours."

Aria was quiet. A part of her did enjoy the truth's day activity because she had some anonymousness to it, but now since Jason knew it was her it blew her cover and defeated the purpose to this whole thing.

"Are you going to answer the question though?" he wondered.

"Why should I?" She grumbled back.

"Aria, how could you say something like that?"

"Jason, you're blowing this out of proportion," she groaned while retracting her foot. Screwing the whole icing process, she went to try and stand up herself.

"No I don't think I am," he said grabbing her arm to try and help her. Using him and the wall, Aria stood up and set her aching foot on the floor gently.

"Just forget about it," she pushed as she had him let go of her.

"I can't do that," he retorted still standing there, "I know you Aria, something is brewing underneath everything you let people see. I care about you – I'm here for you. You need to start opening up to people or you're going to lose them."

"I'm fine," she snapped as she stared at him.

"No you're not. I don't know what's going on but something is wrong. I don't want you to go around hating life Aria. That's not the way to live."

"Why does it even matter?" she asked him with impatience. She wanted this topic dropped now but he couldn't let it go. "We're not even together anymore. Why would you possibly care?"

"Is that what this is about?" he wondered.

"No," Aria said turning her head away from him. Her hurt and betrayal from Jason wasn't just why she hated her life. There were many things like 'A' for one. But after that, it started to unravel in a list – her mom and dad, Ali's death, Maya's disappearance, and it just continued on.

"You can't just come back here and act like everything is okay. You lied to me Jason, that can't just be fixed," she added softly.

He tried to understand her point of view and he could see why she was shutting him out again, but it still hurt. He kept silent and stared away from her till he could gather his own composure. "I hurt you – I get that," he started while making them meet eyes, "but you still can't shut people out like this. I might not know everything that's going on or what problems are occurring, but I do know you."

Jason watched as Aria began thinking about his words. She had this face when she did so, like his words really meant something. "That night when we first kissed and I said I cared about you, it was not just a temporary thing or just something I could say to make a move on you. I meant it Aria; I still mean it. I care about you and always will. Despite where out relationship may take us, you'll always have me to talk to."

His voice carried so much honesty and love that Aria had a hard time keeping her eyes level with his. Resting her head on the wall beside her she gazed down at the floor. What she said was bratty and shameful. Here Jason was trying to help and Aria was accusing him for past mistakes. She was acting childish. Biting her lip, Aria continued to stand there and think. Maybe Wren was right – some issues aren't always worth the battle. Sometimes you have to let go.

"I love you Aria Montgomery," he claimed with a voice that was pleading. "I've made mistakes, I admit that again and again, but I can't stand here and let you hate you life."

Inhaling, Aria turned to face Jason, stared at his puppy dog eyes for a few seconds and then leaned in and kissed him. They kissed for a while, passionately and lovingly. He held her close, still being careful that she was injured, while she just hung on and clung to him like he enjoyed.

"I love you too," she breathlessly claimed as they broke a part and kids started to flood the hallways again.


	30. Chapter 30

**_A/N: Sorry for all the errors =/_**

"Wow, that sounds better than a Soap," Spencer commented as the four of them sat in the nurses office. Aria had just gone over the whole conversation between her and Jason, along with the epic kiss.

"So you guys are back together now?" Emily wondered, "or were you guys not broken up?"

"Whether we or weren't, I can safely say we are together again," Aria smiled.

"And Caleb?" Spencer asked to Hanna.

"Was actually in the bathroom at the time I was freaking, so I'm sorry about that," Hanna said pointing to Aria's ankle.

"Oh, it should be fine," Aria brushed off. "I'm just glad he's okay."

"You and me both," Hanna grumbled.

"So is anyone else curious to why Noel was looking for Caleb?" Spencer questioned.

"I feel like kicking him where it hurts," Emily admitted while sitting back in her chair. The girls all looked at her surprised before giggling. "Its true," she blushed. "He can't just get away with this. First the fashion show and now hurting Aria? There is a reason why I hate him."

Trying not to let her friends get any further, Aria loudly cleared her throat as she saw Jason and her mom enter the room.

"How's it feel?" he wondered to her.

"Numb," Aria stated after sitting on the nurse's table with ice around it.

"Good, just how it should be," Wren announced coming in with a bag.

"Wren?" Spencer asked surprised and confused.

"I thought it was best to call him," Ella admitted as he removed the ice to check Aria out. Hissing, Aria tensed as he touched her skin. "Well definitely no heels again," he announced as he studied it with his gloved hands. "I don't think you broke anything but something definitely could be torn."

"Great," Aria groaned.

"You must have stretched something too far which caused all this swelling and pain. Its best to get you x-rayed as soon as possible."

"She's missing truth day?" Hanna exclaimed in an unfair tone.

"No," Mr. Tamboreli announced standing near the doorway to the room. "To graduate, Ms. Montgomery has to attend this. That's why this is mandatory Ms. Marin," he said. "If we were to allow Aria to leave, then anyone who came to us now with an ache or a pain would want to be dismissed too. That wouldn't be fair now would it?"

Both Ella and Jason were ready to give Tamboreli a piece of their mind but Aria interjected them first with a question to Wren. "I'll be okay to get it checked tomorrow afternoon right?"

He hesitated, taking off his gloves with a smack. Glancing to his girlfriend looking for an answer, she glanced up at Mr. Tamboreli and the ones who were going to argue with him. Not a good idea to fight – Wren clearly got the message.

"It should be fine, but try to alleviate the blood flow by propping it up and keep icing it. That is very important."

"Okay," Aria said clearly relieved.

"I'll see you in the afternoon Aria," Wren told her before secretly glancing at Spencer and leaving the room. Ella and Mr. Tamboreli went to go outside and talk anyways, but before Jason could join them, Spencer grabbed his wrist and made him sit near Aria.

"We don't need you in that dispute too," she claimed.

"Too bad you couldn't bust out of here early," Hanna mumbled. "I would have sprained my arm for that." Cracking a smile, all of them chuckled at Hanna's words.

* * *

"I can't believe she gets a bed," Hanna claimed after they were kicked out from staying with her.

"It's the nurses table. I doubt it's that comfy," Spencer claimed as she kept pushing Hanna forward.

"Still, it's a bed," she stated.

"Hanna, we get out of here in less than 12 hours. I think you will manage on the floor for a little while," Emily said.

"Just wait till you can't fall asleep because the floor is so uncomfortable Emily and then tell me that again," Hanna grumbled back. Since Aria needed to keep her ankle up and propped, along with making sure that no further damage would happen to it like someone accidentally hitting it or running into it, Tamboreli approved to have Aria stay in the nurses office.

Jason had helped her get everything all set up to make her as comfy as possible while Tamboreli kicked all her friends out in the meantime.

"You're not leaving me too are you?" Aria wondered after Jason was done.

"I'm sure I can stay with you," he smiled as he pulled up a seat. As much as Ella wanted to stay with her daughter, Mike had been off with his dad for the night and was now home alone. Shutting off the lights, Jason propped his feet up on the edge of the bed where Aria wasn't near and tried to fall asleep.

"This reminds me of when I was in the hospital with Mike," she stated in the dark. Thinking back to the memory, she ran through it in her head. "He felt bad because he kept his window open and thought the accident was his fault. I also think he didn't want me to be alone but I'm sure he wouldn't admit that now."

"Do you remember everything about that night?" Jason wondered tentatively.

"Yea," she stated in confidence. "At first it was pretty foggy, but it cleared up fairly quick."

"Have you…talked about it?" he asked uncertainty again.

"There isn't much to say about it," she shrugged, "it wasn't Mike's fault for leaving the window open or my moms for not being home. It just happened. Someone came in and someone went out. I just happened to be the collateral damage." She tried to keep the hesitance out of her voice. If Jason had any idea it wasn't really random, they would both be in trouble.

"I was worried, when I heard about you," he stated as he looked up to the ceiling. "I mean, I didn't even hear much except that you were in the hospital. I probably looked like a crazy person as I went to throw my stuff down and rush over to you." He inhaled deeply. "And then Spencer told me the whole thing and I freaked out even more. I wanted to be there, right by your side – forgetting about what previously happened. But somehow she convinced me not to," he sighed. "I don't know if it was her words or her tone of voice. She was so calm and I remember hearing her repeatedly telling me you were fine – that you were going to make it."

"You never really do give up do you?" Aria asked as she thought about it. He was always there for her no matter how many times she pushed him away.

Bringing his feet back down to the ground, he set his elbows on his legs and looked at her. "Why would I?"

"Some people do," she shrugged, "not many people stick around and have the patience like you do."

"Well that's good news for you," he smiled as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, "because I'm all yours."

Perking up at the statement, Aria's face broke out into a smile. "I like the sound of that."

"Good," he murmured as he leaned over and began kissing her.

By the end of the whole 'truth day' event, Aria and Jason had come back together as a couple. There was no more baggage about what happened before and all was forgiven. Caleb was doing okay, no longer bringing trouble for the girls. They all seemed to make it through the morning without any more problems and enjoyed seeing a pissed off Noel.

"Definitely sprained some ligaments in the ankle," Wren confirmed as he held up some of Aria's x-rays to the light. "Unfortunately for you, the damage was more severe than when you originally fell, so I'm recommending crutches for a while."

"You're kidding," Aria flat lined as Wren sat in front of her.

"I wish I was," he sighed, hating to give bad news. "But you're lucky, if you had torn the ligaments, you would of had to have surgery. Now, as for the crutches, you can pick them up from any local drug store or even here at the small clinic, but I do suggest you get them as soon as possible," he said to Ella.

Aria still seemed in shock by the medical advice she was getting. She almost would of had to have surgery? And crutches? They weren't even a thought for her. "The quicker you get off your ankle the faster it will heal. I doubt you will be on them for a long period of time," he stated looking back to Aria. "I'll get you a doctors note so someone can help take around your stuff for school and you should be all set to go home."

"Thank you," Ella told Wren stepping up to shake his hand.

"Of course," he partially smiled

"Thanks," Aria said glancing up to him now as she broke out of her reverie.

"Sorry I couldn't give better news," he murmured before walking out of the room to attend to his next patients needs.

"Its only for a while," Ella said as her daughter went gloomy. Limping on it, Aria and Ella made their way to check out and back home, with a run to the drug store for crutches.

"Wow, now I really want to kill him," Hanna stated as the girls came over to the Montgomery's. "Seriously, lets go," she told Emily.

Emily seemed to be shaking her head silently fuming. "I can't believe he did this to you."

"There isn't much we can do about it," Aria shrugged.

"We should at least try," Emily argued.

"Em, its not a battle worth picking," Spencer sighed as they sat around Aria's bed.

"Are you looking at Aria right now?" Emily exclaimed with her hand out to her friend who was lying on the bed with her foot propped up. "He almost made you need to have surgery!"

"Em, its fine. Wren said I _almost_ would of had to. And i'd rather pick a battle where I could punch the guy myself," Aria grumbled with a scowl.

"Good point," Emily sighed as she reeled in her anger.

"So how's Holden?" Hanna questioned out of the blue. "I saw him with his mom earlier. She looks like a real tight ass."

Aria shrugged, "she can be sometimes I guess. Where was he?"

"The grocery store – they were shopping in the organic section," Hanna shivered.

Aria gave a chuckle at that. Mrs. Strauss was always into that healthy stuff. She remembered the one time the woman tried to feed her family with non-starchy or excessively sugared foods. It lasted for over two weeks. Needless to say, Aria bought Holden his own private stash of gummy bears to hide in his house.

"What does Jason think of him?" Spencer asked casually.

"He's cool with him. I don't think they officially met yet, but Holden is just a friend so Jason shouldn't have a big deal with it."

"Why is it every time I walk into a room or up to you guys that my name is repeatedly brought up?" Jason asked lightly as he came into Aria's room.

"Hey!" Aria beamed, straightening herself to give him a kiss when he came walking over.

"So what were you all talking about," he wondered as Aria tried to make room for him on the bed.

"Aria's friend Holden," Emily answered with a small smile.

"He's the kid you told to get back to class," Aria supplied for him.

"Oh, he's in your grade?" Jason asked.

"Yea," she smiled, "Our families used to hang out with each other a lot when we were little which kind of bonded us together into really good friends. As we got older though Holden's family started traveling a lot so I didn't get to see him for years. But he recently came back from Portugal and we've been hanging out."

"Cool," Jason commented while analyzing Aria. She seemed to have a shine in her eyes when she talked about this Holden guy, but it didn't seem to be in a romantic way. When she lit up about him, it was more like she was happy to have her friend back, not like she wanted to be with him.

"So what are you doing here Jason?" Spencer wondered.

"Just coming to see Aria. I wanted to see how the doctors went but I heard that it didn't go so well."

Aria's friend all gave each other a look, which made Jason become a bit curious to what they were hiding. He could observe Spencer well enough to tell when she wasn't telling him something, and it was easy to read Emily Fields. So what was going on?

Deciding to keep the looks to himself, he noted it to himself and made sure to try and look around for anything else suspicious.

"So not to go way off topic here, but I think that Aria here, should sing us another song," Hanna concluded.

"No," Aria said shaking her head. "You guys come on," she whined as Emily went to search for her guitar around her room. Finding it with ease, she handed it to her friend and sat back down waiting.

"Hey, this is what you get for hiding the secret from us," Spencer said disapprovingly.

"And it could have been a lot worse," Hanna noted with a double meaning entering the phrase. All went quiet for a second and Jason took that in too. What was the innuendo supposed to mean?

"Fine," Aria cracked trying to get rid of the silence. The way Hanna left the conversation hanging rose suspicions and they didn't need any more of that. Situating the guitar in her arms, she inhaled a few times and began strumming.

Aria had the hardest finding something to sing when everyone was watching her. It was beyond unnerving – especially when she could glance at them all.

"Okay, no," Aria sighed as she stopped playing and began pushing her guitar away.

"Hey!" the girls exclaimed.

"I can barely think when you all are sitting here," she said as she glanced at everyone.

"Just pretend like we're not," Hanna shrugged. Rolling her eyes, Aria didn't even know how she was supposed to respond to that.

"Come on, can't you just try? Start over," Spencer pleaded. Groaning, Aria glanced at her guitar and didn't know what she wanted to do. Try again or take the easy way out? Stage freight seemed to be her worst enemy at times. And even though she played in front of Jason it was hard for her to feel so exposed.

Biting her lip, Aria made her decision. "Can you reach me that book right there?" she asked Jason, pointing above her on the shelf to a hard cover journal.

"Sure," he said with bewilderment as he got the small book she needed. Taking it from his hands, she opened it and flipped through the pages carefully.

"Wait, you have a song book?" Spencer exclaimed.

"Seriously Aria, how long have you been singing?" Hanna asked her.

"I can't believe we didn't know this. How come Ali never knew?" Emily asked her. All went quiet then when she was brought up. Facing her friends and Jason she tried to shrug the words off. "It never came up. It was a secret I didn't share with anyone."

"But why?" Emily asked.

"Because its personal," she admitted, "Its bad enough to freeze up in front of you guys…I couldn't imagine if I had to deal with others."

"But you have a good voice," Hanna stated.

"Yea, everyone likes hearing it," Spencer seconded.

"it's beautiful," Jason added.

"And unique," Emily smiled.

"Thanks," Aria blushed, "but you are all bias." Turning back to her journal, she looked through it till she could find a song.

"You're wrong you know," Jason said as she picked up her guitar to play for them. Looking up, Aria moved some hair away from her eyes and gave him an arched eyebrow.

"I think anyone who gets the chance to hear you sing is lucky. You don't realize how good your voice really is and not everyone may like it, but I'm positive many would if you showed it to them."

Glancing away to think about his words, she slowly shook it off for the time being. Her friends were all quiet looking from her to Jason and it was starting to become nerve-wracking too. Picking up her guitar again, Aria strummed the strings again and began to sing. _**[On the ride – Aly & Aj]**_

She finished breathlessly and glanced up at her friends.

"Yea, we are getting you published," Spencer said as she reached over and took Aria's songbook.

"Hey!" she protested, trying to reach over to get it back.

"Sucks to be crippled," Spencer joked as she flipped the pages. Her friends came over, joining Spencer by reading over her shoulder "Okay, you have like most of these pages filled."

"So?" Aria challenged, moving the guitar onto her lap to cross her arms freely.

"So its shows you have talent," Emily said gently. Encouraging smiles went all around the room and made Aria uncomfortable.

"Can I please have it back?" she asked. Each of her friends peered at her for a while before caving in.

"But if we ask you to play us another song, you have to play," Hanna bargained by holding the journal just out of her friend's reach.

"That's ridiculous," Aria claimed.

"Its seems pretty fair to us," Emily said batting her eyelashes. Grunting in unjust, Aria nodded while murmuring a "fine" and swiped the book back from Hanna.

* * *

"This officially sucks," Aria groaned as she made it to her locker with Hanna. It was Aria's first day back with crutches and it sucked. She felt sweaty her arms and ankle were killing her; not to mention she was the talk of the school.

"At least people haven't tripped you yet," Hanna said helping her exchange her books.

"Thanks Han," Aria groaned. Slamming her locker shut, Aria took in a breath and leaned her forehead against her cold locker.

"Your day doesn't look to be going to good," a voice said behind her with a hand on her back. Knowing exactly who it was, Aria felt a bit better.

Jason planted a kiss to her temple and took her books from Hanna so she could move along.

"I honestly don't think I'm going to get through the day on these," Aria fretted as she lifted her head to look at him. "I can barely get anywhere, my ankle is throbbing and do you know how short I feel without heels?"

Chuckling a bit, Jason shook his head and cupped his hand to her face. "You look beautiful no matter how tall you are." He kissed her then, leaning forward so she wouldn't have to.

"I love you," she murmured as they parted.

"Love you too," he smiled, kissing her forehead in comfort before moving back so they could get to her next class. "Come on, just try and focus on something else."

Muttering curse words in her head as Jason walked beside her, Aria continuously had to look down to see where she was going and making sure the ground was clear to put her crutches in front of her. Glancing up for a few seconds, she noticed Noel by the lockers with his friends. He seemed to be studying her.

"Aria!" someone called behind her in the hallway. Stopping, her and Jason both looked for the voice.

"Oh-…hey," Holden said appearing in front of them.

"Sorry. I uh…"

"Holden this is Jason. Jason, Holden Strauss," Aria introduced.

"Nice to meet you man, heard a lot about you," Jason said shaking the kids hand.

"Yea, you too," Holden said, although not knowing really anything about him. With an awkward pause, Aria wondered why she was still in the middle of the hallway. "Did you need something Holden?"

"Huh? Oh…" he said breaking his stare away from someone. Furrowing her brows, Aria looked as best as she could over her shoulder and saw Noel with his head down, occasionally sneaking glances at them.

She was wide eyed when she turned back around and both Holden and Jason caught it easily.

"I'll just catch you later," Holden stated. Giving both her and Jason a wave, he headed off into a different direction for class.

"What was that all about?" Jason wondered as they began walking again.

"Who Holden? I'm sure he was just intimidated by you," Aria claimed.

"No, I'm talking about Noel and the look you three seemed to share," he stated.

"It was nothing," she shrugged avoiding Jason's eyes. Skeptical, Jason didn't even try to go along with what she was saying. There was something there. Something he didn't know about.

"Can we talk about this later?" she whispered when silence set in.

"Yea," he confirmed with determination. Dropping her tings off and at her seat, Jason kissed Aria's head and left for the rest of the day.

* * *

After school, Aria spent her day in her room on her bed again. Ella had come home from one of her shifts to see her and help her set up her spot for the night. There was a cold ice pack on Aria's ankle and the home phone on her nightstand in case anyone called.

Mike was away at practice for the time being and her dad was supposed to pick him up.

"Hey," Jason said standing at the doorway of her room.

"Hey, come in," Aria said setting her guitar down by her side. Ever since her friends and Jason had figured out she played, she felt the urge to play more and more in the free time she had.

"How was your day?" she smiled as he came and kissed her.

"Alright," he sighed as he sat by the end of her bed.

"What happened?"

"Just kids," he sighed. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced out into space. "Its hard sometimes, to hear what teenagers go through. I mean I got off easy. I don't even remember half of my high school days."

"But a lot do," he sighed. "A lot live with this baggage and memories that can't be put away or dealt with. They get bullied or have hard family lives. Some even get blackmailed or into the bad stuff like me," Jason sighed. Aria swallowed hard as she listened. "It seems to never go away for them."

"You're doing your best," Aria said in a shaky voice.

Glancing up to her, he gave a small smile and nodded. "Yea I am." Taking a deep breath, he went and switched gears. "How's the ankle?"

"Swollen," she answered when he picked up the ice pack to see. Fiddling with her hands, Aria shrugged, "but I made it through the day so I can't ask for much more."

"Did Hanna come and get you after class?"

"Every single one of them," Aria confirmed, "and sometimes with Caleb too."

Gazing at her, Jason marveled Aria's beauty. She was so perfect and pure. He wondered how she could be with him, or why she would even choose to be. He was this messed up kid with a long past and she was like a light at the end of the tunnel. What was with that?

"Come here," she instructed, patting the other side of the bed. Smiling, Jason carefully maneuvered his way towards the other side of Aria and laid down beside her. Wrapping her in his arms, Jason stared passionately into her eyes.

She ended up breaking into a bright smile, because of whatever she was thinking about. Feeling it was contagious, Jason smiled back and both leaned in for the kiss. The make out session lasted for a while with each of them moaning and breathing heavy. The two were wrapped up in so much passion and love; it was like nothing was there except them.

"I love you," Jason murmured when they lay back against each other. He picked up her hands and began kissing each finger softly.

"I love you too," she giggled, watching as he played with her fingers.


	31. Chapter 31

**_A/N: Only one chapter - sorry guys, but I do want to thank pmartin33 for helping me fix an error with Aria's ankle. If you all look back now, I changed it to only being a sprained ligament (or something like that) so Aria would avoid the whole surgery thing. I had no clue about all those minor things, so that was my error, which I totally apologize for. And also, sorry if its not changed throughout the rest of the story, I didn't have a chance to proofread the chapter. _**

Mike came home as the couple continued to snuggle. His passing by of Aria's room consisted of a "hey" before making it into his own room and getting on his cell phone. Aria seemed to think that Mike didn't even know Jason was here.

"So what was up with today?" Jason asked when Mike shut his bedroom door and they went back to talking about their days.

"When?" Aria asked trying to buy herself some time by acting dumb.

"The look Holden and Noel were sharing. Your look too," he stated.

"Holden just has some beef with him that's all," Aria shrugged.

"Involving you?" Jason asked cautiously. His girlfriend was silent, still playing with their hands trying to figure out the answer.

"What am I missing here Ar?"

"Nothing," she murmured, staring away from him in the totally opposite direction.

"Hey," he said puling her chin to face him. "What's going on?"

"It's a long story Jase," she murmured as she went to bury her face in him.

"Tell me what's going on," he stated, hugging her close when he noticed how stiff she seemed to be. "Did Noel or Holden do something? Say something? Is one of them in trouble?"

Aria shook her head and tried to take in deep breaths. If she was going to tell Jason, he was going to positively flip and she wasn't sure if she could handle experiencing that.

"Aria," he said now going to push her away. Taking her face-to-face, Jason read deep into her eyes. "What did he do?"

Aria realized exactly after that phrase was spoken that Jason caught on it was Noel. She could already see his jaw was set and he was getting angry. Just how upset was he going to be when she told him the truth?

"That night…you found Holden and I," she spoke shakily. Gripping onto him tightly, he made sure to keep her close so she would continue. "I was up on the roof trying to find Caleb."

"Okay," Jason said calming his anger so Aria would tell him everything. "Somehow, the brick was removed from where I placed it at the door. I couldn't get back into the school. And I thought I heard noises so I went to go climb up higher…"

Swallowing hard, she buried her face in him and fatefully told the rest of the story. "I was too freaked out that someone was on the roof with me that when Noel appeared, it surprised me. He grabbed my ankle to try and get me down from the ladder – He was looking for Caleb..."

Jason immediately went stiff and began pulling Aria away. Holding onto him tight she shut her eyes and begged him not to go anywhere or do anything. "Holden got to me before Noel could pull me down and helped me back into the school. We removed the brick from the roof so Noel couldn't follow us down."

"…That's when you ran into us," she ended.

Jason didn't say anything for a while as he tried to reel in his anger for Aria's sake. She had a death grip on him and seemed worried for how he was handling it all.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he snapped angrily.

"Because of this," she muttered more to herself than him. Glancing up from his chest, he noticed her eyes glassy with tears. "I didn't want you to be like this. You're mad."

"Of course I am Aria. He hurt you. He did this to you!" he wanted to yell.

"You don't think I know that," she said in a helpless voice, which was crushing to hear from Jason's perspective. "I know what he did – I was there. I…I didn't want you to hurt him."

Taming his anger, Jason heaved a few breaths and then snaked a finger into Aria's hair. "You have no idea how much I want to," he murmured, "you have no idea how much I want to kill him for doing this to you."

"Please don't," she begged. "Please, just leave it alone. He knows what he did and he got his ass kicked by Holden."

"What if he wasn't there Aria?" Jason asked her. "What if Holden hadn't come?"

"But he did," she pushed as she held onto his arm. "He was there and took care of Noel for me." Setting her forehead back on Jason's chest, she listened to his erratic heartbeat and kissed his neck trying to calm him down. "Promise me when you leave here you wont go hunt him down."

Jason stayed quiet unsure if he could do that. He felt like an angry bull when it came to that Noel kid. If he were to promise this to Aria, he would have to stick with it.

"I promise," he forced out. "But you need to promise me something," he said pulling her head away to look at him. "If this ever happens again you tell me. I don't want you to be afraid of my temper."

"I'm not – like that," she spoke. "Then promise me," he said. Sighing, Aria debated it for a few seconds and then nodded. "I promise."

"Good," he said before laying his lips on her with force. The thought of losing her and not being there was unthinkable. He had him wanting to slap himself for not coming after her during the second break – he took the route of trying to give her some space instead. For that being of time, he sat against the brick wall and stuck his ipod in his ears.

Jason was disgusted with himself and his actions. He left Aria in a time of need.

"Please stop," she whimpered to him. Breaking his thoughts, his eyes searched hers. "I know how you think. Please stop, you couldn't have done anything for me. You didn't even know where I was."

"I should have gone after you," he said with a clenched jaw. Aria immediately ran her fingers along the bone to make him ease up, and when that worked, she kissed him too. "I wouldn't have wanted you to anyways."

Knowing she was right, Jason felt a bit of comfort at that. Ease began to settle in for him when he felt Aria run her hands over his tense shoulder and chest. Her hands were amazing, so soft and warm. He was glad to have someone like her by his side when he was like this. Pulling away, he took her by the face and leaned in, kissing her in a deep passionate way.

* * *

"You ever go near her again and you will regret it," Jason gritted out as he held Noel up by the collar, wrinkling up his shirt with tight fists. Noel was looking scared as shit and was just barely dangling off the ground while against the lockers.

Commotion was stirring and even though school hadn't started yet students still began rushing in to see the fight.

"What's going on?" Emily wondered, trying to look in at the school's entrance. Getting up from the table outside, the four of them walked into the school with many others and tried to see what was happening.

She heard his voice before seeing him and panic struck her. Making her way through the crowd, with much embarrassment and hardship since she was on crutches, Aria grabbed Jason's arm and pleaded with him to let Noel down. "Please stop," she begged. Tugging on his arm, she continued to try and wrench Noel from his grasp. Everyone was looking and Aria was worried a teacher or the principal would come by and fire Jason. Glaring at Noel for a few more seconds, Jason finally let go of him and backed off. "Lets go," Aria murmured, leading him outside to cool off and explain everything to her.

The walk down the hallway gave Jason a bit of the time he needed to simmer down so he could talk to Aria, but he was still fueled with adrenaline and anger. Noel deserved a lot more than he got, especially since the kid always carried a smug look on his face.

"What the hell Jason!" Aria exclaimed with anger as they reached the courtyard. Flinging down her crutches, she spun around boiling with anger. "You can't just do that!"

He dove for her lips, crashing them together against his. He took control, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck while swiftly pulling her so close that her back had to arch against him. He parted lips with hers; sucking hard like this was the last kiss they would ever share. Slowly, as they needed to catch their breaths, he began to let go of her, only now to nibble on her lips.

"That's not fair," she whispered finally getting rid of the fog in her head and pushing him away from her.

"I had to Aria," he breathed, still holding her body with aching passion. "I needed to do something. I had to let him know I knew and I wouldn't let him hurt you again."

"I told you not to," she groaned, trying to create more distance between them.

"I know," he said helplessly doing what she wanted. Leaving go of her, he watched as she went to sit down at one of the tables and covered her face with her hands. This was all so messed up now. Noel could go to the principal and get Jason fired. Half of the school was proof that he practically assaulted a student and it didn't help that this was all because of her.

"I should have never told you," she muttered to herself.

"No!" he said immediately sliding over to talk with her. "You promised me."

"And you promised me!" she exclaimed facing him. Jason's jaw clenched; he did give Aria a promise that he wouldn't do anything too rash or hunt the guy down…

"It won't happen again," he settled. Leaning forward on his knees, he gazed at her "I'm done and I'm sorry – not for the pushing him up against the locker part but making you upset."

Sighing, Aria leaned into him and buried her face where she could. "What happens if you get fired?"

"Then I get fired," he shrugged making her pull away. With the statement she just made, he knew she was making this personal now. "Aria, this isn't your fault. I didn't beat the guy up because of what you told me, but because it was the right thing to do."

"Do you know how wrong that sounds?" Aria wondered. He gave a shrug and continued to stare at her. "Do you know how many messed up kids I get because they deal with people like Noel on a day to day basis?"

Aria's facial features softened. He talked about his yesterday too. "Don't get me wrong, I was pissed that he touched you, especially hurting you in the process. And I know I promised you that I wouldn't go off the deep end but…I'm tired of seeing people like him get away with things that hurt others. I wasn't just going to let him hurt you and think it was okay."

"I appreciate your hero side," she said running a hand over the side of his face and through his hair, "but you can't go around shoving kids against their locker because you think that's what they deserve. To be a bigger and better person you just have to let it go and keep helping the ones who need it."

"I'm tired of waiting," he said shaking his head, "and I'm tired of trying to be the bigger person. Guys like Noel shouldn't be getting away with what they do."

"I know," Aria said softly understanding how he was feeling, "but how are you going to get through to the kids who do need your help if you don't have a job? If you keep pushing up the bullies against the lockers and getting into fistfights, how are the kids going to learn? If your not there, how are they going to come to you?"

She had a few good points Jason had to admit, and he was slowly starting to realize the downfall to what he just did.

"I love you," she murmured to him as he sat there quietly thinking.

"I love you too," he spoke, taking Aria's head and kissing the top of it.

* * *

Jason ended up not getting in trouble for his actions. Although Noel wanted to go to the principal about it, Spencer pointed out to him before he could do so that he was going to have to tell the whole story. Needless to say, Noel was just as guilty and backed off from telling anyone.

The DiLaurentis himself had used Aria's life lesson to him to into gear to do something better. He some of his inheritance money and put it towards an office building downtown, where he opened a counseling center for younger kids and older adults who dealt with problems like Jason did.

Aria was proud of him for doing so. He accomplished a lot in a small amount of time. After the fight with Noel, he became even more dedicated to his work and strived to do better for others. The place he opened was in good business and many people stepped forward to try and talk out their problems. It made Jason happy, which in turn made Aria happy.

"I'll catch you when I can then?" Aria asked Jason over the phone as she got ready for Holden's tournament. Although she was on crutches, which made it hard to maneuver around, she still insisted that she would come and watch the battle.

"I guess so," Jason said tiredly. He had been so wrapped up in his new office and work that he and Aria rarely had time for each other now. They saw each other sometimes during passing time at school, but each were too busy to stop and talk. And Jason was too tired half the time to spend nights with Aria anymore.

Saying goodbye to him, she hung up the phone disappointedly and rushed to finish getting ready. Holden was going to pick her up tonight and tell her the difference between this competition and the other one she saw since Aria had no clue what the rules were.

"Bye mom," Aria called to her mom when Holden showed up.

"Have fun and be careful," Ella called back. Aria had told her that her and Holden were going to the outskirts of town to see an old movie and dinner to catch up, and she wouldn't be home until late so not to wait up. Shutting the front door behind her, she saw Holden getting out his car to help her get in the passenger side seat.

"Ready?" he asked with a large smile on his face.

"Lets go," she smiled back as he came back around and shut his own door.

* * *

The fight was even more intense than when Aria first went with him. She sat in the first row cheering for her friend as he battled a guy much bigger than him. Although Holden claimed that these people he went up against were picked especially for him and his group type, Aria had a hard time believing him. The ref called the end of the battle, which Holden won. Clapping hard, Aria flashed her friend a bright smile, feeling proud of him.

"So?" he asked sitting down with her in the audience with an ice pack around his torso.

"You were amazing," she claimed. "I can't believe you flipped that guy like that."

"Trust me, it came with a price," he said groaning at all the aches and pains.

"Yea, lets hope you can cover that one up," she said looking at his shoulder. There was a nice bruise starting to form, showing the dark purple and blue colors against his pale skin.

"You brought your make up right?" he winced.

"Yea," she nodded, relieved he was done for the night, "but I think you are going to need a lot more than what I brought."

They ended up sitting in the car, parked in the Montgomery driveway while Aria applied make up to the most visible bruises seen through his under layered white tee and dress shirt.

"Ow," he hissed as she dabbed more concealer on it.

"Sorry," she apologized, scrunching up her face. Applying it a bit gentler, she moved back and took a look at her work. "Okay, you should be fine, but wait till that dries to put your shirt back on."

"You want me to drive home shirtless?" he asked her.

"Unless you want to stay parked in my driveway till it dries," she said packing up her things. "And don't forget to sneak an ice pack up to your room," she stated, more in a requesting tone than a reminder.

"Thanks for coming again Aria," he said as she got out of his car. "Anytime. Let me know when the next one is," she replied with a smile.

"Got it," he said popping two aspirin in his mouth, swallowing them dry. Giving him a wave goodbye, Aria shut the car door and made it inside.

"Wow you look good with no crutches," Jason complimented the next day at school. He kissed her temple from behind, watching as she smiled brightly.

"Why thank you," she replied, enjoying the freedom and kissing him again briefly. Her mom took her to go see Wren early in the morning to make sure it was okay to stop using the crutches and with his stamp of approval, Aria was able to start wearing both shoes to school.

"So how was it?" Jason asked hanging by the side of her locker door.

"How was what?" she questioned resuming to getting her books out.

"Your time with Holden," he said watching her lovingly.

"Oh, it was good. More intense than last time but it was still fun." Aria had told Jason about what her and Holden were really doing. At first she was hesitant, not wanting to spill another person's secret but it was the only way she could explain it was a friend type of date and also not lie to him.

"How was your night?" she reciprocated, closing her locker and facing him.

"Uneventful," he claimed with a sigh. "I finished up some loose ends mostly and made sure to lock up the place.

"Fun," Aria teased as they began to walk. Hearing a beep, Aria went to reach for her phone.

**Emily's house NOW. 911** – Hanna

Confused for a second, Aria stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked all around. It was a school day so why did Hanna want them to go to Emily's?

"Everything okay?" Jason wondered as he stopped with her.

"Uh…I think I have to go," she said closing her phone and glancing around to where Spencer, Hanna and Emily's locker would be. None of them were there and it was still early to go to class. Getting a pit in her stomach, Aria swallowed hard and went back to her locker to put away her things.

"What is it?" he asked her still following her.

"I don't know," she said opening the door, "but it doesn't sound - …."

"Aria," Ezra called from the hallway. Both her and Jason stiffened before glancing back at him. Inhaling deeply, Aria noticed how he seemed to have sympathy in his eyes. This was really not going to be good. Shutting her locker door, she murmured to Jason she would be right back and went to go talk to him. Aria slipped in the classroom with Ezra who was still giving her the sad eyes and shifted from foot to foot.

"I…I am so sorry for your loss," he stated with hardship.

"What?" she asked confused. Her phone began buzzing again but she was too worried on who might have been 'lost'.

"You don't know?" he asked reading her facial expressions.

"Know what?" she asked bewildered.

"…Aria, Maya's body was discovered in the woods early this morning."

Paling, Aria went to steady herself on the classroom doorway.

"Hey," he said trying to take a gentle hold of her. Pushing him away, she wrapped an arm around her torso and tried not to hurl. "I have to go," she rushed out and walked from the room. Making her way through the crowded hallway with a challenge, Aria tried not to lose it in front of everyone. As soon as the parking lot came into view, a sob racked her body and she rushed for her car.

"Aria!" Jason called, running after her as soon as she left Fitz's room. Able to catch up with her in the empty parking lot, he grabbed her arm spinning her around. His concern skyrocketed when he saw her with tears down her cheeks. She immediately dove into his chest and fell apart, sobbing in his chest.

Jason was at a lost of what was going on. One minute Aria was okay and the next she was crying her eyes out. "What happened? Did Fitz say something?" Shaking her head, Aria continued to clench onto him.

"Jason!" one of the faculty members, who he frequently worked with, called for him. The guy was waving him in back to school with a hurry. Being pulled in two different directions, he tried to calm down Aria. Running his hands up and down her arms, he kissed her head and tried to understand what was going on.

"Jason!" the guy called again.

"Go," Aria croaked out, turning her back to him and wiping the tears.

"Aria," he said trying to get her to look at him. Watching her shake her head, she wiped the falling tears and sucked up the sadness. "I have to go."

Opening her car door, Aria went to get in. "You're not driving like this," Jason stated concerned while holding onto her elbow. "Let go," she said weakly as she glanced away from him. Taking a deep breath in, she met his eyes, "please let go."

"What happened?" he asked helplessly as he removed his hand from her. Jason was continually called for, which made Aria realize she needed to get to Emily immediately. "Maya is dead." Wiping some more tears, Aria shut her door and started her car. Rushing off, Jason was left standing there frozen in place.

* * *

Mrs. Fields answered the door, wrapping Aria into a hug before letting her go upstairs. Everyone that knew Maya was hurting right now. Aria couldn't imagine how much pain her friend was in right now. Opening Emily's bedroom door, she saw Hanna holding a sobbing girl. Approaching the bed carefully, Aria took hold of her best friend too and let her cry.

That's how they stayed until mid afternoon. Spencer had shown up a few minutes after Aria with puffy red cheeks and they all hugged each other. Emily was quiet for the rest of the day, even more so towards the night.

"Do you want us to stay?" Hanna asked rubbing her friend's back.

"No, you guys should go," Emily emptily responded with a pillow curled on her lap.

"We don't mind," Aria insisted gently. Instead of getting a response, Emily went and laid down on her bed. She had cried for so long that the girls assumed she couldn't produce any more tears.

"We'll come by tomorrow," Spencer said with sad eyes. Picking up her things, the girls went and followed. Murmuring goodbyes to Mrs. Fields, who was coming up to check on her daughter, the three of them left. Neither of them spoke when the walked out of the house, and except for small goodbyes, nothing else was said.

It was a quiet drive for all of them getting home. The car radios were off and they were left in silence and their thoughts. All three of them made it home safely, and all three of them cried to their families when they made it in the house. Both Hanna and Aria collapsed in their mother's arms while Spencer had Toby. It was a shock for both of them – to lose someone so familiar and close to them. It was like Ali all over again and it felt horrible.


	32. Chapter 32

**_A/N: Not many reviews. All still out there with me? (Thanks to all who did - definitely helped me move along and update this triple chapter!)  
_**

**_p.s. Sorry for the many and plenty errors. I didn't read over everything... =/  
_**

* * *

After collapsing in her mother's arms, Aria woke up tight faced and exhausted. It felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep when in fact she got plenty. Rubbing her hands over her ace, Aria shifted to her side and glanced at her nightstand. There was a small white piece of paper sitting near her clock.

_**Thought you needed to take the day off – Mom **_

Setting the note back down, she realized it was a little passed 10. Sighing, Aria turned back onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Maya was gone…she was gone. Gone. There was a hollowness that set in for Aria, and she was sure Emily was feeling so much more than what she was. Trying to get comfy again and reel herself away from her thoughts, she faced the wall and gazed at Jason Jr. Aria had stuck him on her bed when she slept alone at nights. He was so big that it felt like nice protection.

Tugging at one of his ears, she brought him down beside her and cuddled deeply with him. It was like she was five again, hugging her stuffed animal tightly. Unfortunately, Aria did feel five. She felt so lost and scared; she wasn't sure how she was going to get through another death. Beginning to sniffle, Aria buried her head in the dog and cried again. Life was so unfair. It was full of hurt and pain. Why did this happen? How could this happen?

* * *

Hanna and Spencer were both a full blow mess too. Mrs. Marin had let Hanna skip the day in collaboration with Ella and made sure Caleb was there to comfort her too when she left for work. Although the mother and daughter talk didn't happen yet, Ashley knew Hanna would eventually open up to her. Right now Maya's death was too much to go over and she understood that. She felt sorry that her daughter had to go through something like this again. It was a total shock to not only see it on the news when she went to work, but to see Hanna so upset when she got home was heartwrentching.

Spencer had fallen into Toby's arms as soon as she got out of the car. He was already waiting for her with his arms crossed against his truck. The two hugged each other and Toby let her cry uncontrollably for a while. It didn't matter that they had broken up because it was Maya that they shared in common too. She was a great girl and friend to them and although they only hung around with her once or twice, both Toby and Spencer liked her. It was sad for both of them, but even more so for Spencer. It was her best friend's girlfriend, so whether or not they were together, Toby didn't care. He was going to be there for Spencer – not because he thought it was right, but because he knew it was. The rest of the night he stayed with her and the next morning, skipping school, Toby stayed with her again when she began to cry.

It was a long day, for all three of them – trying to heal and all…

* * *

Around 1:30 Aria finally got out of her bed. She showered, did her hair, and even put on real clothes. Instead of sitting around, she went downstairs, wrote a not to her mom and grabbed her keys to go to work. The last thing that was best for Aria was to sit around thinking about what happened to Maya. Lingering pain would swallow her whole and Aria didn't want to feel that. So heading into the photography studio, she hung around the place and did little tasks like developing photos or organizing orders to be ready for pick up. The motions of everything soothed the thoughts swirling in her heads and the pictures of happy people made her spirits up lift a bit more. But when Aria realized the TV was on in the main room, she had to run to the dark room and cry. Maya was all over the news. Some stations covered the story about her body being found while others talked about what could have happened to lead to her murder.

It took Aria a while to compose herself before going back out there to finish her task on recording the receipts in a book, and after a while, she decided she couldn't go back out there. Instead, Aria grabbed her bag and took out a roll of film she had taken pictures with. They weren't too old. She was guessing that it was around the time her and Jason were going good and Toby was still around. Shifting around the small dark room, Aria kept focus on developing these pictures.

"She should be in there," Laurel said to someone. Barely paying attention to whoever it was, Aria continued to soak the picture. She had hung up quiet a few already. Some were of Spencer and Toby, Emily and Maya, a few of her and Jason, many of Hanna and Caleb, one of the guys (with Maya looking tough), and a select number of the four best friends together.

When Aria came across the ones of Maya she broke down and it took her a while to actually hang the photo up. But when she did she also remembered the good times the pictures held. They were of a bunch of different times. Numerous shots were of the weekend that the four friends got together with their significant others, while the other times were when they were testing out Aria's new camera and the four best friends were all messing around. Aria recalled how Hanna had taken the camera and snapped a bunch of silly and random photos of her and Caleb at the picnic and she laughed when she came across the one of Hanna and Emily making this weird face. They must have taken it themselves.

"Hey," a voice said stepping through the curtain. Looking up from her work, Aria saw Jason approaching.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered while getting ready to pull the next photo up from the tray.

"Your mom said you were here," he answered.

Turning to her work, Aria carefully took out the photo and hung it up to dry. This picture was another one of Maya and Emily. Emily had given Maya a kiss on the cheek and Maya was giving some funny face. Sighing, Aria swallowed hard and tried not to think too much about it.

Jason watched his girlfriend work. He studied her for a while, seeing the flash of emotion on her face. Stepping forth, he stayed behind her and put his hands on her tense shoulders. Kissing the side of her head, he slid his hands down to her arms. They stayed like that for a while, Aria being still as she was wrapped up in Jason.

It felt calming to her, and she took the soothing bliss as a time to clear her head. When the moments were over though, Aria went back to work, waiting for another photo to develop.

"I remember these," Jason spoke as he browsed at all the photographs hanging. He smiled at a few, along with frowning at some. His eyes lingered over the ones of him and Aria, and he made sure to have her bring them home.

"I love you," he murmured softly into her ear. Smiling slightly, she shifted so she could easily kiss him. "I love you too."

* * *

Aria didn't come home until late. Her and Jason stayed at the studio for a while and instead of leaving with him when he had to go back to work, she decided to stay and develop more photos until close. The whole day Aria had thought about Emily, and she wanted to go over there, but she needed her space. Mrs. Fields had texted them this morning saying it was best for Emily to rest. She hadn't gotten much sleep that night after they left and she looked like she needed it.

"Aria?" her mom called, knocking on her door as she slipped into bed.

"Hey," Ella said with a weak smile. Her daughter was sad; she didn't bother putting up a mask or trying to argue that she wasn't broken and that made Ella concerned. "How are you holding up?"

Aria gave a lame shrug, unsure what she was supposed to say to that. Fine? Good? Okay? None of those answers were acceptable. It was hard for her, especially after seeing those pictures of Maya she developed. Aria thought that it would give her some closure and peace of mind, but it did just the opposite. It haunted her. It made her think of all those times Maya was with them and hung around. It made her think of how happy Emily was at that time and it concerned Aria now that she wasn't. It was a bad idea to develop those photos, but Aria forgot that Maya was on there – and that made her feel worse.

"Did you still want to miss school tomorrow?" Ella asked.

"I should go see Emily," she replied with emptiness in her voice.

"Okay, I'll talk with Mrs. Marin and Hastings and see when Spencer and Hanna are going to go."

"Thanks," Aria said softly.

Ella furrowed her eyebrows. She wanted to say more, but it was like Aria was barely there to listen. She was struggling with a friend's death, so maybe she needed more time.

"Goodnight sweetie," she said kissing Aria's forehead.

"Night," Aria sighed, slipping further under the covers and going to sleep.

* * *

The week was hard for all the girls.

"We have to be strong for Emily," Spencer claimed at the beginning of the week. But as time passed, it was too hard for any of them to keep composure. They comforted Emily as best as possible and tried to help her move on. But it felt like the efforts were useless. Emily was barely there – sitting out of conversations, schoolwork and everything else. Aria had finally showed her the pictures she developed one night and Emily broke down sobbing her eyes out. That was the only time she could see Emily break from the emptiness she carried.

Maya's funeral was days after they found her body and Emily was breaking. She had kept her composure during the funeral but when it came to burying her, Emily had sobbed hysterically. As for the rest of them, they were hanging on by a thread. The funeral was full of memories and heart wrenching good things Maya consisted of, and at the burial, the girls had to hug on so tight to their boyfriends that they thought they were going to lose it too.

The girls' phones beeped, which made them all panic. Pulling open the message, they all saw what it said. It made Emily go ballistic and people who were still saying their goodbyes looked over.

**Where were the tears when I died? – A**

"I hate her! I can't take this!" Emily yelled out with a painful cry. Fully alert, the three friends dragged Emily away near an empty space and tried to calm her down.

"She's just taunting us, you need to calm down Em," Aria said hushly.

Emily let out a painful cry and fell to the grass on her knees.

"We know," Hanna said trying to comfort her as Emily sobbed in their arms.

"We'll get whoever's up to this, I promise you Em, we will," Spencer vowed.

As the girls took care of each other, the guys stared at them. Jason wanted to know what Emily was talking about, Caleb was getting hyped up on anger from everything he knew, and Toby was just standing there worried for them. What was this going to do to the girls? How were they supposed to cope with this now?

"Lets go home," Aria sighed, slipping her hand in Jason's. They walked back to his car silently, not bringing up what just occurred. As the girls held Emily trying to hush her, Mrs. Fields worriedly came up and took her daughter from them, letting her out cry in pain. Spencer, Hanna and Aria all did the same, grabbed their guys and parted ways. It was too much…all too much.

* * *

10 days, 4 hours and 34 seconds passed since Maya's funeral. Emily had been doing a bit better. She no longer broke down in sobs or skipped school because it was too much too soon. She coped a lot better than what others thought but was still silently hurting over Maya.

The girls had progressed from Maya's death too. They bonded even closer and made sure to figure out what happened. It was another mystery to be unraveled, but they promised themselves to do it. The guys had been supportive too. Jason had come around more often, being there for Aria when she needed to talk. Both Wren and Toby were there for Spencer, emotionally and to talk. Spencer couldn't exactly voice her sobs to Wren since he didn't know Maya, which is where Toby came in, but Wren was still there to try, and for her to cuddle and chat to. Hanna had Caleb still, who was her personal saint. He kept patience with her and showed her love in every way. Although much of their time was spent mulling over Maya and her death, some of their moments were just about them two. On a rare occasion it was about Caleb's over curiosity, but it didn't happen often since Hanna was still coping.

"We have a huge problem," Hanna said bursting into Emily's room. The place had some changes to it. Much of Emily's room consisted of the pictures Aria had developed of her and Maya. One was of Emily and Maya smiling into the camera – that was framed on her nightstand, another was of Maya posing with Spencer, Hanna and Aria – that was on her desk, and a few more were scattered places like on her dresser, hanging on the wall near her closet, and one near her door. It was her way of coping the girls' guessed.

"Caleb was just taken in for questioning," Hanna spoke.

"What?" The girls all said getting riled up.

"I need a computer…Emily where's your laptop?" Running for the computer, Hanna sat down at her desk and began typing. Hanna needed to get the files of thing about 'A' he had complied and kept on his computer before the police found it.

Dashing from the bed, Spencer, Emily, and Aria all went to see what Hanna was doing and what she might need.

"Ugh! What could this be?!" Hanna said freaking out as she hit the password protection. If she couldn't get passed this before the police looked at it, Caleb was going to go to jail.

"Your name?" Aria suggested.

"Your birthday," Emily spoke.

"His date of birth? Or maybe you're guys' first date day?" Spencer thought.

"No!" Hanna fretted trying all of them. Hitting her head and squeezing her eyes closed, she tried to remember what Caleb told her about her password.

"_It's a combination of letters from the places I lived, some numbers and an exclamation point."_ He said one day in an empty classroom.

"In case anything happens," Hanna murmured to herself before she remembered. Typing it in, she quickly put '422SwSIDaR1105!' and hit enter. Praying it would work, it did and she quickly deleted all the files.

"Wow, nice one," Aria complimented when they all got to sigh with relief.

"You guys, that was too close," Emily stated.

"Go pick him up. Call us later," Spencer said to Hanna as she exhaled with relief.

"I can't believe 'A' almost sent Caleb to jail," Aria stated when they settled back down to talk after their friend left.

"It's getting too intense," Emily sighed.

"It doesn't make sense anymore," Spencer groaned.

"Maybe whoever it is is playing defense instead of offense now," Aria shrugged.

Spencer furrowed her eyebrows and glanced to Emily for back up. "Since when did you reference anything about sports?"

"Jason is teaching me the basics," Aria supplied as she sat on the bed.

"Wow, you really must like him," Spencer teased.

"Okay, so say he or she is," Emily said getting back on topic, "what does that mean for us?"

"It means we need to watch our backs either way," Spencer instructed, "whoever this is, is very good at playing both sides. If you think about it, we must be getting close to unraveling the mystery of who 'A' is. Why play defense if you don't need to? Whoever it is doesn't want us to figure it out."

* * *

***One Month Later***

_**(A/N: Sorry for the time skip, but didn't know what else to put in between it. It is around Thanksgiving time here.)**_

Several things have changed since Caleb was in trouble, Maya died, and Aria had been injured. For one, Wren and Spencer broke up. It unraveled quickly, Toby being the main problem. Although the two of them weren't together, Wren saw many signs of Spencer still liking him. It was almost a fatal attraction Wren thought. And so he let her go. He told her to be with Toby because he wasn't going to be around to watch it. It hurt Spencer at first, especially because she didn't want to hurt Wren, but he was partially right. Her heart wanted Toby. Maya's death had brought him back and she missed being with him. So her and Toby were back to being a couple.

Emily had been doing well. Samara had come back into the picture after hearing about Maya's death. She was the one that got Emily back to her normal self for good and after establishing a long friendship, they recently declared themselves a couple again. The girls were also happy for Emily when her dad came back into the picture. Mr. Fields declared that his family needed him, so as his tour came to an end near after Maya died, he came home and helped Emily move on too. It was nice to see him and their family so happy. Emily felt like things were stable again and not as bad.

It was helpful too that 'A' wasn't around for the period of time. Or…it could be arguable really.

Caleb and Hanna had become rocky in their relationship over the month. After the scene with Emily at the funeral and the computer thing, Caleb had taken a secret mission to figure out the puzzle. He stepped over some close boundaries a few times and it made Hanna a worried mess. She lashed out at him and pleaded him to stop, but Caleb felt like it was his duty to protect Hanna. So needless to say, it put the two at an off stance with each other. Both were on the mission to help each other, just in different ways. Oh, and alongside that, while Caleb was digging around for 'A', his mom ended up contacting him. It was huge for the two of them since she lived in California. He had a decision to make. See her for a few weeks or stay around Rosewood. As much as Hanna wanted him with her, she also had to be a bigger person. She insisted that he should go stay with her for a little while – it was going to be the best for them and the 'A' problem. So he left and the poor girl was a wreck. But eventually as time passed, it healed her and her relationship with him. 'A' was no longer brought up in every conversation they had, but the love they had for each other.

"Do you think he was seeing her while also with you?" Emily wondered to Aria as they sat in her room. For Aria, the past month of her life was fairly peaceful. With 'A' on a break, Jason stopped asking questions and became a well-known figure in the Montgomery household. Mike had been doing great, excelling in school and playing sports like usual. And as for Ella, she had healed from her divorce and settled on moving forward. Byron had already started dating someone, which was a bump in the road for the family, but with the support system Aria had, she dealt with it. Her job at the photography studio was going well. She earned a good amount of money and learned a lot.

"I don't know," she replied angry. This weekend while she was out shopping with her friends, Aria had seen Ezra and Jackie walking the streets. At first she didn't think anything of it, until she noticed he was holding her hand and they stopped at the window to look at engagement rings.

"I don't know if Fitz is the kind of guy to cheat on someone," Spencer thought.

"He dated his own student Spence, I think we can assume anything about him," Hanna pointed out.

Aria wasn't the one to be jealous, and she didn't think she was. But she was angry. Was Ezra seeing Jackie when the two of them were dating? And if he wasn't, it only had to be about a month or two since they got back together.

"It doesn't even matter anyways," Aria said coming to sit back down with her friends. "Ezra and I ended a long time ago. And Jackie and him have history. So what."

"So what? Aria, he could have been cheating on you," Spencer stated like she was stupid.

"Thank you, I realize that," she replied. "But I shouldn't care. He's over me and happy with her now. That's a good thing."

"Right," Emily said looking at her with skepticism.

"Seriously you guys," Aria said rolling her eyes.

"How is Jason taking this news?" Hanna wondered.

"Very happy," Aria confirmed. "He was glad to see Ezra over me and onto someone else."

"So…no more drama with that?" Spencer asked, thinking back to their big fight, which broke them up.

"Nope," Aria answered with a smile. The girls hung around Aria's place for a while before deciding to go out and roam the streets. The long weekend was a good time to hang around and have a normal life again.

"Look you guys," Spencer said. Jenna and Garrett seemed to be fighting on the sidewalk. Garrett was trying to plead with Jenna about something but she was walking away, getting into a taxi she must have called.

"What do you think that was about?" Emily wondered as the four of them watched from afar.

"Nothing good that's for sure," Aria said as she glanced around. Garrett, who was looking sad and ticked off walked back to the front of the café and got into his car driving off.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to spend Thanksgiving with my family?" Aria asked Jason as they sat on his couch. After spending the afternoon with the girls, she had popped by over Jason's to hang around with him.

"Why wouldn't I? Your family is nice," he responded looking down at her. Aria had settled comfortably with her head in Jason's lap while the rest of her body was sprawled out on his huge comfy couch.

"What about your family?"

"Ar, my family hasn't had thanksgiving or a real meal together in a long time," he said running a hand through her hair.

Aria frowned, feeling bad that Ali's death caused so much disruption to the family.

"You could ask them if you want…to come to dinner with us," she suggested. Jason's eyebrows furrowed. "The last time you saw my mom, I believe she asked you to wear some of Ali's old dresses and model them on stage."

Aria made a face at that and went to sit up. "You don't have to ask if you don't want to, but if you ever feel like it, you could you know," she shrugged. "My mom plans to have almost everybody over this year."

"Your dad?" he wondered.

"Him, his girlfriend, the man across the street," Aria listed. Jason gave a chuckle and watched as she put on her shoes. "I have to stop at Hollis and pick up Mike."

"Tell him I said hi," Jason said kissing Aria before she got up from the couch.

"Will do," she chirped. "Love you!" she called as she walked out of the house.

Mike was ready to go as soon as she approached her dad's office. He was sitting in one of his chairs with a grumpy face and backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Ready to go?" she wondered knocking on the door.

Not saying a word, he got up and passed her to go to the car.

"What happened?" Aria asked her dad who was sitting at his desk doing some work.

"Mike is just upset with me that I'm bringing Opal," he sighed, glancing up at his daughter. Opal was Byron's new girlfriend. He had been dating her for a little over a month. Aria stayed quiet, leaning against the doorway.

"You kids are going to have to get used to that she's around now," he said staring at Aria.

"You don't think we have?" Aria asked with a raised eyebrow. "Dad, you just left mom a little while ago and now your dating this woman. How did you want us to feel?"

"Your mother left me," he stated trying to justify himself while ignoring the other question.

"You cheated on her – twice," Aria stated with her arms crossed.

"Aria, this is none of your business," he sighed.

"Yes it is," she said getting agitated. Ever since her father met this Opal woman he had started becoming different towards his kids. He was now all about her and saying that Aria and Mike needed to respect her as a mother figure too. Those lines made both kids sick. "You know what, never mind. I'll see you at thanksgiving," she said and walked away.

Getting in the driver's side with Mike, she noticed how sad he looked. "Did he throw the line at you too?" Mike grumbled.

Aria sighed again and nodded. Bryon had always would say 'its none of your business' when either one of them proved a good point and put Opal down. It was his way of saying discussion over and he wasn't going to listen anymore.

"We'll be okay Mike," Aria stated softly before he got his music player out and drowned out the world.


	33. Chapter 33

Thanksgiving approached quickly, just two days after they saw their dad. Ella had invited numerous people – some who Aria didn't even know.

"Hey Hanna," Aria said opening the door for her friend and Mrs. Marin. The party had already begun in full swing.

"Wow, look at this place," Ashley said as Aria took her coat. People were all around, talking, eating appetizers and standing around. "Did you guys want something to drink?" Aria wondered.

"We will spare you the work and get it," Mrs. Marin smiled sympathetically to her.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Hanna murmured to Aria after her mom left. Glancing around, she saw many of the teachers from school, the neighborhood, and a bunch of others she didn't know.

"Is that Mr. Fitz?" Hanna asked as she saw him standing around. "And Jackie?!" she exclaimed.

"Yea," Aria said with a breath.

"Wow, what was that like when you answered he door?" Hanna asked intrigued.

"Awkward," Aria replied. Understanding, both girls stood around and watched the people in the crowded house. "So where's your dad?"

"Not here yet," Aria sighed. "He was supposed to be here earlier with the wine but he hasn't showed yet."

"Here you go Ar," Jason inturrputed, handing Aria her drink. "Thanks," Aria smiled while taking it in her hands. Each saying hello to each other, Aria left Jason and Hanna to answer the door again. "Holden!" Aria smiled. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Strauss," she also greeted while opening the front door wider.

"Aria, where did you put the rolls?" Mike murmured to his sister before there could be more of a conversation. "Mom's freaking out."

"Okay, I'm coming," she said as she took the guests' jackets. Quickly hanging them up, she gave both Jason and Hanna a sympathetic smile as she passed.

"Here," Aria said to her mom while getting the rolls from the drawer and tossing them in a basket.

"Where is Byron?" Ella groaned to herself. Their dad had played a disappearing at on them so to save the day Jason came over early and helped them. He picked up the wine, ran out to get ice and other things they needed, all while staying in a jolly mood with Aria's crazy mother. Hearing a knock on the door, Ella quickly looked up from the open oven. "Aria! The door!"

"Okay okay," Aria said going to rush over and get it. Pushing past the people while also murmuring her hello's she tried making her way to the front of the house.

"We're engaged!" a voice squealed out. Aria halted in place when she saw it was Opal holding her hands up in the air with a nice rock on her finger. Byron, who was a bit embarrassed, confirmed it and hugged his soon to be wife tightly to his side.

The loud voices were hush after the big announcement, but didn't stay quiet for too long when people soon began gathering around the couple to congratulate them.

"Oh no," Hanna murmured to Jason trying to look for Aria now.

Still frozen in shock, Aria stood in her place and tried not to let the announcement hit her too hard. Engaged? Engaged… Marching up to her father, Aria tried to pull him aside so they could talk hushly.

"You're engaged?!" she asked him incredulously.

"I know it's a big change," he said with a silly smile on his face. Taking in her dad's appearance and the smell of him, she went wide eyed. "You're drunk."

"Not drunk," he said to her. "Just tipsy."

"You proposed to Opal when you were tipsy and now you show up here to your former wife's house?!"

"Its my house too," he corrected, swaying a bit as he held onto her shoulder, "and this is something you wouldn't understand. When you get older you'll know – until then though, this is none of your business."

Snatching her body away, she glared at her dad. "This is as much of my business as it is moms."

"Aria, don't make a scene," he said looking around for people watching them. Keeping up appearances, he took her arm again.

"Get your hands off of me," she gritted snatching her arm back.

"Honey," he called unstably as she pushed her way through the crowd. She stopped when she got to the stairway seeing Mike out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at his dad and Opal and then glancing to Aria like he was confirming it all. Shaking his head when he realized it was all true, his dad was indeed going to get married again, he backed away and went out the back kitchen door.

Running up the stairs to her room, Aria quickly shut the door behind her and slid down the wood. Taking in deep breaths, she tried not to cry. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Was this why they were late? His girlfriend was barely his actual girlfriend till a month ago.

"Aria?" Jason's voice called while knocking on the door. Cursing herself, Aria heaved a sob and buried her head in her hands. Did her dad think of how his kids would feel? And what about her mom? Oh god her mom…

"Ar, let me in," he commanded. Still nothing, Hanna tried this time. "Aria, its just us. Open the door."

The two of them stayed there for a while, knowing that Aria was keeping herself in her room. "Jason, why don't you go check on Mike?"

He automatically went to decline, but she gave a pointed look. "Aria's probably worried about him. And knowing you, you can get through to him best."

Sighing, Jason ran a hand through his hair. Aria couldn't exactly hear what Hanna said next but whatever it was made Jason decide Aria was in good hands with Hanna. "I'll be back Ar," Jason called past the door before he left. After hearing the footsteps fade, Hanna's knocking came again. She tried a few more times, trying different ways to get Aria to open the door. Finally, after standing there tiredly on her feet, she tried one last time.

"Come here," Hanna instructed when she saw Aria. Her incessant knocking worked as she took Aria into her arms and stepped into her room. Shutting the door behind her, Hanna held her friend tightly. She knew exactly how Aria was feeling since she was once in the same place. Hanna and Aria's dads were a bit different, but they were still fathers. She knew what it felt like to have another woman come into their lives and try to fill that other 'mom' spot.

"I can't believe he's doing this Han," Aria sniffled.

"You know what Spencer and Emily would be doing right now?" Hanna said brushing Aria's hair away from her face while trying to cheer her up. "They would be downstairs, in your dad's face, kicking his ass."

Aria gave a small laugh, wiping her tears. Both Emily and Spencer had other plans to attend. Spencer was out of town with her family for a few days, enjoying the holiday the 'Hastings way' she liked to call it. As for Emily, her and her family decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner with just the three of them. It was Mr. Field's first thanksgiving back and they thought it would just be nice to do something at home.

"I don't know how my mom's going to handle this," Aria stated whipping some tears from her cheeks. "Last time she was so crushed that my dad cheated on her again and now…"

"She'll be okay," Hanna said supportively. "Your mom has always been strong. Your dad marrying this bozo will barely affect her."

"Thanks Han," Aria sniffled again as she leaned into.

"That's what friends are for," Hanna chirped. As she held her friend comfortably, she thought about the rough emotions Aria was going to experience. If Opal was like anything Hanna observed, she was going to be a handful. At least Isabel had common sense and was a bit more reserved. This woman was like some bimbo on TV. She had a loud mouth, dressed like she was still in her 20s (although she was probably only in her late 30s), and thought Byron's kids were so 'cute'. Like really? Who uses that word to describe people anymore?

Hearing a throat clear, both girls looked up to the person coming in the room.

"Hey," Jason said trying to give a smile.

"I'll let you two handle it from here," Hanna smiled as Aria gazed at him. Giving Jason a look, she peered at Aria one last time before shutting the door behind her and going downstairs.

"How are you holding up?" Jason said coming to sit in the spot Hanna was. Snaking an arm around her back, Aria wiped some more tears from her cheeks and sniffled again.

"I can't believe he did this," she replied looking up to try and keep the tears at bay. Composing herself again, she brushed the wet tears off her cheeks. "How's Mike?"

"He's alright – needed to take a few minutes to himself," Jason spoke as he kept his eyes focused on Aria. There was so much going on with her and he wanted to make sure that she was going to be okay.

"He's a strong kid – a lot stronger than you think. He'll be okay; he has you."

Nodding, Aria tried to agree with him. "Ugh!" she groaned as she was bombarded with more emotions. She hated crying and letting people see her weak.

"Hey," Jason said gently, bringing her hands down from her face. "Its okay." Wiping fresh tears away and continued to hold her face in the palm of his hand lovingly. Salty water filled her eyes again and finally fell. Jason took her in his arms holding her small figure close. She sobbed in his embrace for a while, letting it all out.

"I was thinking we could have a bon fire tomorrow at my place," he said trying to take her mind off of the problem at hand when she calmed back down. "I was going to finish the pit and then maybe have all our friends over?"

Aria loved the fact that he called her friends 'ours'. Everything was now 'ours' instead of 'yours' or 'mine' and he enjoyed spending time with all the others. "Sounds amazing," she nodded, thinking it truly was perfect to get her mind off of today.

Hearing a knock on the door, Jason and Aria looked to see Ella peeking her head in the door. "Am I interrupting?"

"No," Jason said looking down to Aria. "We were just talking about having a bon fire tomorrow."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Ella replied still cool as a cucumber.

"You're welcome to come," Jason said slowly leaving go of Aria and getting up. He was getting the cue that the female Montgomerys needed to talk.

"I'll think about it," Ella said with honesty. A night out sounded good and Jason was a sweet kid.

"Ar, I'll wait for you downstairs," Jason said before kissing her head and nodding at Mrs. Montgomery as he left.

"So…" Ella trailed, shuffling further into the room with her hands entwined with each other. "I talked to Mike."

"How is he?" Aria wondered concerned.

"He'll be okay," she nodded while giving a flat smile. Becoming very serious, Ella came closer to her daughter and sat on the other side of the bed. "But I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine," Aria immediately answered.

"Honey, you've been crying," Ella said putting a gentle hand up to her daughter's face.

"Its just because he's marrying her," she answered shaking her head as she got up from the mattress. She went over to her make up bag and opened her closet door to stand in front of the mirror.

"I mean, it's barely been a month," Aria sighed as she opened her mascara.

"A little over that," Ella answered.

Sighing again, Aria turned back to her mom. "I'm so sorry mom, I didn't mean it like that."

"Aria, I'm okay," Ella insisted. "I can handle your father and his crazy decisions. I'm just worried for you and Mike. What your father pulled today was very wrong with him and I made sure that he never does something like this again. He should have told you both in private."

"You yelled at him?" Aria asked surprised.

"More like kicked him and Opal out," she said flashing Aria a smile.

"Seriously?" her daughter asked with wide eyes as she came to sit back on the bed. "Mom that's awesome."

"Not totally awesome," Ella said, "but it needed to be done."

Giving a laugh, Aria went and hugged her mom.

"It will turn out all right Aria. You just need to give it some time."

Aria was hesitant and a little confused on why her mom was taking this so well. When Aria told her mom that her dad was cheating on her again, she was a wreck. The whole ordeal with the knife and deep depression. Why was she so chill with him possibly getting married? "Did you–…did you know about this?"

She gave a heavy pause and pulled back from her daughter's embrace. "I didn't exactly know about it, but I could see it coming."

"But…why didn't you tell us?" Aria asked feeling betrayed.

"Aria," Ella sighed, "your father and I were very young when we met. We fell in love so quickly and had kids that we never really took time to settle down for ourselves." Watching her daughter go back to trying to do her makeup, Ella made sure that Aria understood her. "Recently, with Opal, I've seen a change in him. He's trying to live that younger life he missed out on," she said. "But there is only so much he can go back to and feel normal with. I think that him asking her to marry him was because of his insecurity and ill adjustment."

"And if it isn't?" Aria murmured quietly as she looked down to her eyeliner in her hands. "What if its not that at all?" she wondered staring up at her mom through the mirror.

"Then I wish them happiness," Ella claimed. "I can't justify your father's actions or try and figure out why he's doing what he is. All I can do is accept them and move on. My time now is for you and Mike."

Bowing her head again, she played with the bracelets on her wrist."…Does it bother you that you didn't have that younger life period?" Aria questioned tentatively.

Getting up, Ella moved behind Aria and gathered her hair to one side. "You and Mike have been my life for…oh, you can't even imagine how long," Ella teased with a smile. "And I would never trade that for the world. I may have become an older woman since I've had the two of you, but I don't think of myself as old yet, do you?" she joked curiously at the end.

Cracking a smile, Aria stared back at her mom and shook her head.

"I'm happy with the ways things are Aria. I wouldn't trade you or Mike for the world."

"Thanks mom," Aria spoke softly while resuming her make up.

"I'll meet you downstairs, don't take too long."

Nodding, Aria watched her mom leave her room and finished putting on her make up.

* * *

"Better?" Jason asked when she reached the bottom step. He had been waiting for her with a drink in hand, leaning against the wall near the stairs.

"Yea," Aria said plastering on a smile. Slipping her arm in his, he led her to the dinner table and grabbed a seat.

"Need help?" Aria asked her mom when she noticed her going back and forth from the kitchen to the table with food.

"No, just sit down," Ella instructed with a smile. Sliding out a seat for her, Jason helped her situate herself in a chair and sat next to her.

"Wow, this looks amazing," Hanna said taking the seat on the other side of Aria.

"You have no idea how strict they are in the kitchen," Jason teased with a look as she bent forward to talk with Hanna.

"Are not," Aria protested lightly while cracking a smile from the memory earlier that morning.

Guests all began pulling up seats too and marveling at the food. Mike sat across from Aria, giving her a silent nod saying he was okay.

"That was horrible," Holden joked as the rest of them laughed. Ella had taken a seat at the end of the table while Ashley, and Hanna sat across from each other, then Aria and Mike, Jason and Holden. There were a bunch of other people too, stretching all the way into the family room, but their conversations were more close knit.

"She still likes to do it," Aria pointed out as they talked about Mrs. Strauss's eating corrections.

Leaning in, Holden acted like he was trying to keep a secret between the group of them. "And I still keep gummy bears and real food hidden in my closet."

Laughing again, the bunch of them all began to chuckle.

"Did you ever do that? Ashley asked Ella, thinking to do the no sugar or carbs food.

"Never," Ella replied, shaking her head with a laugh.

"I'd move out if you did that," Mike said lightly.

"Me too," Aria said while diving back into her food.

"If you ever do that I'm staying with Caleb," Hanna declared to her mom who looked like she was thinking about it. Laughter flew around the table again as they ate.

"What about the times you two used to put on fashion shows?" Ella asked Aria and Holden. Smiling at the memory, everyone laughed when Holden groaned and put his head in his hands.

"You used to like it," Aria teased.

"Hey, if I remember correctly, all you wanted to wear wee boys clothes. Your mom had to literally cut the clothes off of you after a week" Holden laughed. Gaping, Aria picked up her bun from her plate and chucked it at him as everyone laughed.

Holden caught it and continued to laugh. "At least I didn't enjoy dressing up like a princess," she taunted to him. Quickly sucking up his laughter, Aria nodded. "Oh I remember when I used to do your makeup and hair. Don't think you can fool me."

Holden playfully narrowed his eyes and ate the dinner bun that was thrown at him.

"You actually used to put on make up?" Hanna asked with a laugh.

"And heels," Aria added before Holden could speak up. The bunch of them all laughed again while Holden sat there cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

* * *

"Dude, I miss that," Mike said to Holden as they talked amongst themselves about video games. After a while, conversations began to part and soon, Ella and Ashley were talking, along with Hanna, Jason and Aria.

"Come on, lets get dessert," Aria said pushing her chair back.

"I'll get it," Ella said swiping her napkin from her lap.

"We got it," Hanna stated, motioning for the mother to sit back down. As the three of them pulled out all the baked goods from the kitchen and prepared them to be served, they cracked jokes and teased each other along the way.

"Okay, so you have to sing tonight," Hanna declared.

"Han," Aria groaned back. Over the past month, Jason and her friends had taken the honor to assist Aria in solving her problem of singing in front of others. They made her sing in front of her mom and Mike, around each other's houses and even so far as to going back to the bar Jason showed them for karaoke night again.

"Come on," She pouted with a small stomp to her foot.

"What about dessert?" Aria asked.

"You can sing while they eat. I'm sure Jason will save you a plate for afterward," Hanna said before glancing to Jason who nodded.

"Fine," Aria huffed as Hanna gave her a pouty face. "Go get my guitar."

Cheering to herself, Hanna left the kitchen to go and get the instrument. "I can't believe you planned that with Hanna," Aria stated while shaking her head.

"It wasn't planned per say," he said sneaking his arms around her waist as she put some muffins on a plate.

"Ready?" Hanna asked appearing again.

"Lets go put these out first," Aria said, smiling as Jason gave her a kiss to the head before letting go to help her. Setting out a variety of things out at the middle of the table, Aria watched as people began to pass things around.

"Hey everyone," Hanna called to the guests as Aria pulled up a stool from the kitchen and sat at the way other end of the table which was empty.

"Aria here, is about to sing a for song us. Please eat your food and listen," Hanna proudly introduced. Chuckling, Aria blushed when everyone began turning their attention to her. Moving her fingers to play certain notes, she slowly began to sing _**[catch me by Demi Lovato]**_

It was actually an old song she had written a while back when she was crushing on Jason. It was funny to think about now because he was hers. Even her worry washed away when she noticed everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. As she finished playing, everyone clapped and her mom even stood up. As embarrassing as it was, Aria felt that good feeling of accomplishment sweep over her.

"Wow, even Jackie's clapping for you," Hanna murmured when she went to take Aria's guitar. Glancing over, Aria saw that Hanna was right. Both her and Ezra seemed to be happily surprised, clapping like the three didn't have history with each other.

"Thank you," Aria said to the crowd before going back to sit down in her seat next to Jason.

"I can't believe you could sing like that Aria," Ashley said when Aria came back to her seat. Aria blushed again, remembering that it was only Mrs. Hastings who had heard her voice before. "Thanks Mrs. Marin."

"Did you write that yourself?" she wondered.

"Yea, it was a while ago," she nodded.

"Well very well done Aria," Ashley complimented before going back to talk with Ella.

* * *

The night came to an end with a smooth success. No more drama occurred or surprises happened; the night ended almost like it was normal for them. Stepping back inside the house after walking out to say goodbye to Jason, Aria shut the door behind her and gave a tired sigh.

"Thank you both for all your help," Ella said walking over to her kids. Embracing them both in a big hug, she kissed their heads and gave a content sigh of her own.

The doorbell rang again, a while later as they were still cleaning up. Curious to whom it was, both kids stopped what they were doing and watched as their mom went to answer the door.

"Greg?" Ella said surprised after opening the back porch door.

"I know, I know, I missed thanksgiving and am totally late," he claimed stepping into the house to bend down and hug his sister. Greg Rose was wearing a nice suit, with a red patterned tie and blue collared shirt. He was about a head taller than his younger (and only) sibling Ella and around 47-years-old. He had black hair, thick eyebrows, a clean shaven face and well built physical stature.

"Hey you guys," Greg said as in the same deep voice Aria and Mike remembered. Dropping the bag in his hand, he went over to hug his niece and nephew.

"I am so sorry I didn't show for dinner," he claimed after saying his hello to the family. "My flight got delayed because of bad weather and my cell phone was dead so I couldn't call…"

"No, its okay," Ella waved off while smiling to her older brother. After shutting the front door, taking his coat and things, the four of them sat around the family room.

"How was your flight? Did you want some leftovers? We have a bunch," Aria offered before grabbing a seat.

Greg chuckled and stared at Aria. "Just like your mom," he noted. Blushing, Aria bowed her head and Ella smiled.

"So, where are Andrea and Jack?" Mike wondered, as they got comfy. Andrea was Greg's wife. She was a little shorter than Ella, had blonde hair, green eyes and a spunky personality. She was always kind and sweet to the Montgomery family along with helpful in the kitchen. Their son Jack was about six years old, with blonde hair and dark brown eyes - like his father and Ella – and had obsession with toy cars.

"Oh they couldn't come this time. Andie is on bed rest till Haley is born and Jack is too much of a handful to bring," he laughed. Greg and his family lived in Kansas, where both adults worked at a law firm. Greg was a criminal district attorney while Andrea was a secretary for the civil law cases.

"When is Andrea due?" Ella wondered.

"A month and a half. She's had me finishing up the new nursery and taking care of Jack."

"And it's a girl for sure?" Aria asked. Greg nodded. "Haley Brooke Rose."

"That's pretty," Ella smiled to her brother as they sat on the couch together.

"So does Jack still like his cars?" Aria smiled. Ella and her family haven't seen Jack since he was younger, maybe when he was 3. Her brother and his family stopped over for Christmas while their new house was being built in Kansas.

"I can't even pry them out of his hands," Greg chuckled. As he stared at Aria, he couldn't believe how old she had gotten. She looked so mature and stunning from the last time he saw her. "You both are so big," he told both his sister's kids. "You guys make me feel old."

"Yea, you look older from when we last saw you too," Mike commented, pulling a serious face. The three of them went wide-eyed at his remark, but it soon turned into laughter when he showed that he was kidding.

"Alight, I'll let that one slide," Greg joked to Mike who was smiling proudly.

"So are you staying for a while?" Ella wondered.

"I was going to grab a hotel near by and maybe stay for the rest of the week? I should be back for Andie and Jack soon though."

"You should stay here," Aria suggested.

"Yea, you should," Mike agreed as the two siblings looked to their mom.

"We do have a spare room," Ella said in a convincing tone.

"Are you sure it wouldn't be too much?" Greg wondered.

"Never," Ella said waving off the comment. Both of her kids cheered about the news. It had been too long since they saw their uncle. It was always too hard or hectic to find a common time to spend moments each other and it put them at a loss.

"So dinner must have been a big hit then?" he asked as the three of them made a plate for Greg.

"You could say that," Aria muttered.

"Uh oh, what happened?" he asked with a serious face.

"Byron's engaged," Ella confessed as she put saran over the plate so it could go in the microwave.

"Mom kicked him out of the house," Mike added.

"Are you okay?" Greg wondered to his sister.

"Of course. I just couldn't believe he did that in front of everyone," Ella responded.

"What do you mean?" Greg wondered.

"He was a little tipsy when he showed up," Aria commented. Greg's eyebrows arched and he stared at his sister. He knew she could be strong and tough, but this was a lot to handle. He knew that she was getting a divorce from him and that her and Byron were having troubles before that, but he worried none the less.

"Really, its not a big deal," she waved off as she faced him.

"The woman is a real bimbo," Mike commented.

"Mike!" Ella scorned as the rest of them gave a chuckle or a smile.

When his dinner was ready, the four of them sat at the kitchen table and talked some more. There was so much catching up to do and chitchat that the family didn't go to bed till four in the morning. It felt peaceful for once in the Montgomery household. Their Uncle's presence made Rosewood just a bit more bearable and free, and Aria fell asleep easily.

**_A/N: Sooooo? How'd you like the new guy Greg? He's made up by me of course. Ella's brother? Yay or neigh? Hit me up with some feedbackk!_**


	34. Chapter 34

**_A/N: And here is your last chapter. Keep in mind this story ends at 40 chapters so please review as much as you possibly can! Thanks!_**

"You thinking about sleeping the whole day?" her uncle asked knocking on her bedroom door and opening it to stick his head in.

"Hey," Aria said shifting on her side to look at him.

"We were thinking of going to get some lunch. Did you want to come with us?"

"Sure," Aria said. Rubbing her eyes, she pulled back her covers and tied up her hair. "Where are we going?"

"Some café down the street?" he asked unsure if that answer was right. "So where'd you win that?"

Glancing to her uncle to see what he was looking at, she saw he was gazing at the big stuffed animal Jason won for her.

"Oh, my boyfriend won that for me when we went to the fair."

"Jason right?" her uncle asked, stepping further into the room as Aria stood in her closet looking through her clothes.

"Mom told you about him?" she wondered looking back at him.

"I know everything now," he teased as he sat at the end of her bed. Aria loved her uncle for this reason. It didn't matter how long of a time he was away, he still was her uncle **and** her father. Aria guessed that he picked it up from being an older brother and father himself, but she wasn't sure. Either way though, she enjoyed it. Her father was never like this – caring about her life and trying to pry with little cheesy questions – it felt good to know that he cared.

"So…you like him a lot?" Greg guessed as Aria modeled clothes to possibly wear for the day. There were pictures of the two of them all over her room, along with that giant stuffed animal and books.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she was curious to what he was getting at. "Did my mom send you up here to spy for her or something?"

"No," he shrugged, "just curious."

"Then I plead the fifth," Aria joked.

"That's only if you have incriminating evidence against yourself," he laughed.

"I do," she replied justly, "if I was to tell you anything I could land myself in trouble."

"Mike said the same thing," Greg chucked, "but that makes me wonder what you guys have been up to." Aria smiled widely and shook her head. There was nothing to really find. Both her and Mike were good kids and the adults knew that. Taking a moment to himself, Greg watched his niece in her morning routine. He couldn't wait to have a daughter of his own come into the world. Waiting for Haley was like waiting for Christmas after it just passed. He wanted to watch her grow and do this too. "He treats you right though correct?"

Aria stopped to look at him. "Yea, he's one of the good guys," she confirmed.

Greg smiled at the comment while bowing his head. He and Aria had this connection – father/ daughter of course. They could really get into deep subjects without even truly touch it. It could be something simple like this, where he's asking about the boy in her life and she replies something about his true bother of the bad people in this world and soothing it.

"Well, I should go see if your mom needs anything. You good here?" he asked getting up from her bed.

"Perfect," Aria chirped as she got her clothes together.

"I'll see you downstairs in a few," he commented, shutting the door behind him. He loved that kid, and he could only hope he and Andrea could raise such a daughter like that too.

* * *

"No way!" Aria and Mike laughed as Greg told some stories about Jack.

"Its true," he confirmed, chuckling at the memory too.

"Another refill?" the waitress asked Ella as she came around to check on them.

"Sure thank you," Ella smiled back. The four of them made it to the café were Aria and her friends usually met at. It wasn't too crowded considering it was the day after thanksgiving but it was busy enough.

"I say we walk to the ice cream shop and get some of that fudge," Mike suggested.

"Or we could just walk to the movies, eat a bunch of snacks and stay warm," Ella replied back. Greg laughed at both of them before pitching the idea of going to the bookstore so they could get coffees. Finding it to be great, that's what the family did.

Paying the check, the four of them grabbed their things and walked outside. Just as they crossed the street, Aria caught a glimpse of something. Stopping where she was, she turned and looked back. The Rosewood newspaper's front-page cover of Maya's death was taped to a lamppost, flapping against the fall wind. From where Aria stood she could see the clear outline of the words 'death' and 'missing now found'. It made chills run down her spine and sickness stir in her stomach.

"You coming?'" Greg asked his niece when he saw her stopped a ways back on the sidewalk. He had jogged back to her as Mike and Ella walked along unknowing that she wasn't with them.

"Yea," Aria said shaking her head and faking a smile. Tearing her eyes from the picture, she walked beside her uncle and caught up with the rest of their family. _(Little did she know the newspaper clipping had the letter 'A' circled in red with sharpie…)_

* * *

The day seemed to fly by for Aria. After lunch they went to the bookstore, bought coffees, a few books, and then went to the toyshop next door so that Greg could mail something to Jack.

"Coming?" Aria asked Mike who was playing some Xbox game.

"Yea, one sec," he said pressing a few more buttons before something blew up on his screen and he gave a cheer.

"Mom! Uncle Greg! Come on," Aria called from the stairs as she went to get her things. With little convincing at the dinner table, they all decided to go to Jason's bon fire with her afterward.

"Lets go," her uncle said making it down the stairs first in a new change of clothes. Instead of the usual suit and shiny shoes he seemed to always wear, he had on a nice long sleeve button down, pair of jeans, and some slack shoes.

"Did we need to bring anything?" Ella asked as she gathered her things.

"Nope," Aria said already at the door waiting for everyone to follow.

There was some chatter already going on in the backyard when Aria and her family walked up to the house. Leading them to the backyard, she could hear the crackling of the fire and the smell of the burning wood.

Jason saw her before she even had to say anything. Grinning like a fool, he left Spencer and Emily to go say hello. "Hi," Aria smiled to Jason as he slowed his jog.

"Hey," he beamed back, snaking an arm around her back to take her in his embrace. Giving a friendly smile, he greeted Mike and Ella first. "Glad you decided to come," he told the mom as he reached in for a hug.

"Jason, this is my uncle Greg. Uncle Greg, this is Jason my boyfriend," Aria said introducing the two.

"Hey, nice to meet you," Jason said holding his hand out. Greg took it with ease while wearing a gentle smile on his face. "Nice to meet you Jason. I've heard a bit about you."

Aria blushed like usual, which caused Ella to smile and Jason to look back at his girl.

"Aria!" Emily called while laughing with Spencer. Turning over her shoulder, Aria quickly dragged Jason and her family in tow to say hi to her friends.

"You wouldn't believe what Thanksgiving was like for my family," Spencer laughed with Emily.

"This ought to be good," Aria said catching the glimmer and happiness in their eyes.

"So who's this?" Emily asked as she said hello to Mike and Mrs. Montgomery.

"Oh guys, this is my uncle Greg. Uncle Greg, these are my best friend's Spencer and Emily."

"I've heard a lot about you two. Very nice to meet you," he said reaching over and shaking their hands. "Isn't there a third one?" Greg asked his niece.

"Hanna should be on her way with her mom," Jason confirmed for Aria and her family. "In the meantime though, you guys can go ahead and sit down. We have things to make s'mores; there is water and pop in the cooler too. Can I get you two anything different? Mike?" he asked the adults and her brother like the perfect host.

"I'm good," Mike spoke up while getting himself a soda.

"We're fine, thank you Jason," Greg said sitting down with Ella.

"You want anything Ar?" Jason wondered standing beside her, an arm still around her waist.

"I'm good," she smiled up at him. "Alright," he said kissing her forehead. "I'm going to get some paper towel and blankets."

"I'll come," Aria spoke up. Entwining their hands, she followed Jason back to the house while keeping an eye her family with a smile.

"So how come I've never heard you talk about your uncle?" Jason called to her as he looked around the kitchen for paper towel.

"He doesn't usually come around often," she replied watching her family and friends interact through the window. Spencer was already asking her uncle questions and Mike was making them laugh.

"He's your mom's brother?"

"Yea," she replied going to gather blankets from the family room and closets. "He lives in Kansas with his wife Andrea and son Jack."

"Is he always so…"

"Father like?" Arias answered for him as she went to the closet and reached for some more blankets.

"Yea. He's different from your dad," Jason noted as he came and helped her reach a blanket from the top shelf of the closet. "In a good way though."

"I know," Aria said with a smile as they faced each other. "He's a good guy. He looks out for Mike and I like we are his children. Today, he actually asked me about you."

"Yea?" Jason asked intrigued, following her with his eyes.

"He wanted to know what you were like and if I really liked you."

"What did you say?" Jason wondered, following her back in his living room where she was creating a stack of blankets he kept around the house.

Aria teasingly shrugged and laughed when he wrapped her in a tight hug from behind. Turning over her shoulder, she smiled at him. "I said you were amazing. Totally loveable and all." Jason broke out into a grin and leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Hey, can I borrow a sweatshirt from you?" She asked him when he retreated to the kitchen to grab the paper towel.

"Sure, you know where they are," he responded. Dropping the blankets, Aria went upstairs and into his room. Pulling out a drawer, she grabbed a sweatshirt from its place. A new picture of him and her caught her eye then. It was in a nice frame, set gently on the dresser; both of them were in each other's arms smiling at each other. It had been developed in black and white from Aria's camera. Grinning, she shut the drawer and skipped back downstairs.

"You already have the picture I gave you in a frame?" she asked him as she grabbed the rest of the blankets from the couch he couldn't fit in his arms.

"Yea, I had some time on my hands," he said back as they walked outside.

"I like it," she commented. Kissing her cheek, Jason set down the things and grabbed the rest from Aria's hands. "Come on," he told her, leading them to some chairs.

Hanna arrived a few minutes later with her mom. Ashley looked uncomfortable at first, but as soon as she saw Ella and Greg she relaxed.

"Who's the hottie?" Mrs. Marin whispered to her daughter as they approached Ella and Greg. Reintroducing Greg to her friends and Ashley, Hanna sat down with her friends while Jason got up to say hello and be a proper host.

"Wow, your uncle is extremely good looking," Hanna stated to Aria as she looked the man up and down.

"Ew Han," Aria cringed. Continuing to eye him, Aria hit Hanna's arm lightly. "Hanna! He's married!"

"And almost twice your age," Emily commented. Rolling her eyes, Hanna tried to shove the facts away.

"About time you two showed up," Spencer called to Caleb and Toby who were walking into the yard joining the party.

"Hey man," Jason said giving both the guys a man hug clap. Sitting down for a while, everyone began chatting with each other. The parents mostly talked with themselves while Caleb talked with Mike and Toby talked with Spencer. Hanna and Emily were talking to Aria and Jason, which didn't seem to be a problem since they were all laughing at comments being passed along.

"Having fun?" Aria asked her uncle over his shoulder when Jason got up to go take a call on his cell phone. She had been modeling his sweatshirt half the night since he brought it over to her when he noticed she was shivering. It had somehow gotten lost in the stack of blankets when the two of them brought everything outside but he dug it up, just for her.

"Lots," Greg smiled, looking up at her as she hung on his shoulders.

"Jason seems very nice," he noted as Aria smiled and pulled up a chair by him.

"So he passed your test then?"

"He's better than what I pictured," her uncle settled on with a tease.

Aria gave an offended laugh while shaking her head in contentment. Her uncle approved.

"You know, I always thought you would be with that Holden kid. Is he still around?"

"Yea," she smiled. "His family just came back from Portugal a few months ago. He came for Thanksgiving dinner too but you kind of missed it."

Greg shook his head, knowing the jab Aria was giving him about being absent for the dinner. "I always hated the kid's shaggy hair," her uncle admitted randomly. Laughing again, Aria buried her face in her hands so she wouldn't burst out laughing. When Holden his little he had such cute curly hair that his mom didn't want it to get it cut. It turned out to be such a shaggy mess as it grew that it reminded everyone of a mop. "But he's good?" her uncle asked with a follow up question.

"Really good," she confirmed.

Glancing to his sister and Ashley, and then back over to Jason who was talking business over the phone, Greg leaned in and pretended to grab a piece of chocolate near Aria. "I heard you say I love you to him," he commented softly.

"When?" she asked surprised. She had yet to admit to her mother, or anyone else really that she had said those three little words to Jason. It was such a personal matter and big deal for her that she didn't want to really go over it with others.

"You were sitting over there," he said with his head. Glancing to the spot her and Jason once were Aria did recall that she said those words to him in his ear when she thought no one was looking.

"I'm happy for you," he said sitting back. "You light up when he comes around."

"You don't think I'm too young?" Aria wondered. That was one of her fears when it came to telling people she loved Jason. She worried that people wouldn't take her seriously because she was only 18 and let the statement fly past them. It was silly but Aria couldn't help but believe that people would say to her 'who knows what love is when their 18?' and consider her to still be a child.

"I said I loved you to Andrea when was 22 and look at us now," her uncle spoke to her. "Love is different for everyone."

"I didn't know you did that," she said with a smile.

"Oh yea," he laughed, "Andrea and I were actually best friends before we worked together."

"Really?" Aria asked surprised. She didn't know any of this.

"We lived close by each other, maybe a block away. Her and I were friends for a while and then ended up drifting apart near the start of high school."

"What happened?"

"We ran into each other in a bar on her 21st birthday. She was out celebrating and I was out with some friends in the area. Anyways, after seeing each other that night, we ended up meeting to catch up on old times. From there, we started dating and I told her I loved her."

"Did she say it back?"

"No actually," Greg said crossing his hands together. "We had actually ran into one of those moments were we each wanted to tell each other something at the same time and I ended up going first. After I said my news, she said she took a job offer in Georgia and was moving."

"What?" Aria asked completely stunned. Greg nodded. "We ended up braking up that night and going our separate ways. I was heartbroken at first. I mean I had to stay where I was finish law school and then here she was leaving. It was hard. But then things brought us together again. After graduation and visiting you when you were born, I ran into her again. Here in Rosewood actually."

"Is that when you guys finally got together again?" Aria asked. Jason came over behind them, setting a blanket on Aria's shoulders. Smiling, she got up from her seat and let him take her seat so she could sit in his lap instead.

"Yea it was," her uncle said with a smile to his niece and her boyfriend. "Andie was walking home from her summer job and I was walking to the market to get some things for your mom. We were both busy with issues on our mind and bumped into each other again accidentally. It was a little awkward," her uncle said thinking it over, "but time healed our wounds and we were able to take time off and see each other. We filled each other in about our lives again and decided to give our feelings another go."

"When summer ended," he sighed, "I had to return to my job and she had to return to Georgia."

"But," Aria said knowing it was coming.

"But I didn't want to let her go. It was different this time…something was different," Greg said recollecting the memory.

"So I asked her to come back with me. Ditch the job in Georgia and stay with me in Virginia."

"She did," Aria assumed, thinking that was the happily ever after.

"No," Greg laughed, "but we did a long distance relationship. The two places weren't too far from each other and we worked it out."

"Didn't you get tired of it?" Hanna wondered listening in. Greg turned to her surprised and nodded. "But that's when marriage came in."

The girls raised an eyebrow at him while the guys sat back listening. He seemed to have captured everyone's attention. "I asked her when she came to visit me in Virginia. I had this whole night set up and everything. Luckily she said yes and we both were able to take job transfers in Kansas."

"That's adorable," Spencer stated.

"But my first 'I love you' was that night when things went wrong," he pointed out to Aria. "And I never regretted it."

Smiling, Aria knew he was telling her more than that. His message was more like 'I said I love you and I never regretted it – no matter how askew things went for me.'

"So you and your wife live in Kansas for good now?" Spencer wondered while grabbing a stick to roast marshmallows with.

"Yes. We've been living there for a while together. Our son Jack, and our daughter Haley who is on the way should be growing up there – at least that's what Andie and I plan for."

"I seriously cannot wait to see them both," Aria declared.

"Well, in the meantime as we wait for the second little one, I'm sure this guy will do," a voice called from the front of the yard. All the heads turned to see a very pregnant woman and a little boy holding his mother's hand.

"Andie?" Greg asked, immediately standing up.

Full of excitement at the sight she was seeing, Aria quickly got up. "Ari!" Jack squealed letting go of his mother's hand to run into her arms.

"Ah! Look how huge you got!" Aria exclaimed as she held the little boy in her arms.

"Hi Mikey," Jack said shyly as Mike came over to say hello to the little boy too.

"Andie, what are you doing here? How did you even get here?" Greg asked concerned.

"Here, come sit down," Jason said guiding them all to the seating area.

"Oh, thank you," Andie said gratefully to him. "I'm Andrea."

"Jason," he replied back shaking her hand.

"Andie, seriously, I thought the doctor said bed rest. How did you get you and Jack here all by yourself," Greg asked worried.

"JJ helped us out," Andie said worried free. JJ was their babysitter and an old common friend of theirs. Andrea rubbed her belly and smiled up at Greg. "We were fine getting to the airport and survived the flight."

"But how did you find us here?" Aria wondered as Ella came over to say hi to the little boy.

"Hey sweetie," she said reaching over to hug the teen. "Well," she smiled as Jack held onto Aria again after saying hello to Ella, "it was actually fairly easy. I knew where you guys lived and I asked around to see if they saw you. Many people know you guys. It's a good thing that this place is so small."

"It has its perks," Ella smiled as she came to greet Andrea.

"Plus," Andrea said to her husband, "the doctor said it was fine. I haven't gotten up for a while and saved all my days to do so. I wanted to surprise everyone with Jack, Haley and me."

"Well, you definitely did," Mike said coming through the crowd to hug his aunt.

"Ah! Look at you two. You guys are so big. I feel like an old whale," Andie frowned.

"You look amazing," Greg said bending down and kissing his wife's cheek. Aria glanced up to Jason who was already watching her stand there. Giving him a bright smile, she turned her attention back to Jack and went to introduce him to everyone.

"Everyone this is Jack. Jack, can you say hi to everyone?" Aria cooed.

"Hi," Jack said still peering behind Aria's neck.

"Hey Jack," everyone replied back

"Jack, these are my friends Spencer and Hanna." The two of them waved, Jack doing the same back. "Over here is Hanna's friend Caleb and my other friend Emily."

"Emily's name is the same as mommy and daddy's friend!" he claimed perking up from his shy attitude at the familiar name.

"That's right buddy," Greg smiled.

"Who's that?" Jack asked pointing to Mrs. Marin.

"I'm Ashley," Mrs. Marin said pointing to herself.

"She's pretty," he stated shyly again. Mrs. Marin looked very pleased with the compliment. "Well I think you're pretty handsome yourself." Jack began blushing, hiding his face in Aria's neck.

"Oh, I love that kid," she murmured to the adults as they all chuckled.

"Look, there's Mike," Aria murmured, pointing over to Mike. Mike was waving at the two of them, being extra playful with Jack around. "Mikey's funny," Jack claimed as her brother made him laugh.

"Can I introduce you to some more people?" Aria asked Jack whose arms were still locked around her neck. Giving a nod, she turned him to face the others. "This is Spencer's friend Toby, and you know Auntie Ella right?" Jack nodded. "Then over here is my other friend. His name is Jason."

"Hi," Jack murmured to Jason as he snuck a peek to him from Aria's neck.

"Hey little man," Jason smiled.

"Jack, when were you a shy guy?" his mother asked with a smile. "Come on, give Ari a break and come sit down."

Kissing her cheek, Jack let go of Aria and grabbed her hand instead.

"Lets get you some marshmallows to roast," she suggested, taking a seat next to him on a log.

"He is so adorable," Hanna said watching him put a marshmallow on his stick.

"How old is he again?" Spencer asked Andrea.

"Six," she answered, running a hand through his hair with a smile. "Be careful," she warned as he stuck it over the fire with Aria watching him.

"Andie, did you know Uncle Greg missed Thanksgiving dinner?" Mike teased.

"Greg!" Andrea scolded.

"The storm cancelled my flight for a few hours and by the time I got there it was way past partying time," he answered while jokingly giving Mike a glare.

"How's being pregnant? A joy isn't it?" Ella said with sarcasm clear in her voice.

"Don't miss that," Ashley added.

"This is going to be our last one," Andrea announced still rubbing her belly.

"Don't blame you there," Ella commented.

"You both were braver than me. Two kids…ugh," Ashley said shaking her head. The conversation between the women continued as everyone else tuned out. Glancing around, Aria saw Jason and her uncle having a casual conversation. At times, they would break from the chatter to laugh or take a drink of their drinks. It was a good sight to see and she wondered what they were talking about.

Glancing back to Jack, she helped him turn his burnt marshmallow into a s'more.

"Wow," he exclaimed as he took a bite of the sandwich. Melted chocolate was already smeared over his face and he had a huge happy look in his eyes. Digging into the sandwich some more, Mike came to sit by them and showed him how to really eat it.

"How do you not just steal him away and keep him for yourself?" Spencer asked as Aria came to sit by her friends so Mike and Jack could spend some time together.

"Geez Spencer, crazy much?" Hanna asked her.

"I haven't seen him since he was little. Its so weird to see him so big now," Aria claimed as she watched him.

"I have to admit, he's a pretty cute kid," Toby said chuckling at Jack whose face was beyond messy.

"Even Mike enjoys him," Emily commented.

" Yea…but I think he might need some assistance," Caleb laughed. Her brother had tried to help clean up Jack's face but ended up getting marshmallow residue and chocolate all over him too.

"Mike," Aria groaned, getting up from her seat. Picking up the roll of paper towels on her way, she grabbed her water bottle and poured some water onto it. "Let's see Jack," she said bending down to him. Sticking out his neck, Jack waited for his face to be clean.

"Nice job," she smiled, holding up her hand to give him a high five after they were done.

"Oh, ew," Aria said after feeling the high five leave stickiness on her hand. Going back to sit down while wiping her hand, she smiled as Mike was helping little Jack make another marshmallow sandwich.

**_A/N: How does everyone like little Jack and Andrea? They are created by me too unfortunately. If only the show was like this. Jaria ='(_**

**_Please review!  
_**


	35. Chapter 35

"If he's bothering you just tell him to go somewhere else," Andrea called to Aria and her friends. After three and a half s'more sandwiches later, Jack had become a sugary, outgoing, giggling mess. He had trace amounts of chocolate still on his mouth as he came to sit with Aria and all her friends.

"Oh no, he's great," Emily responded as she looked down to Jack still laughing on her lap as she bounced her legs.

"He's in a sugar coma," Hanna noted.

"Kind of like how you get when you're in the mall," Caleb teased behind her. Jokingly offended, she hit her boyfriend's arm and continued to watch the little boy with Emily. His laughter was too cute to ignore and he made everyone else chuckle too. Emily had done the simplest moves to ignite the spark in his eyes and so far, she looked to be his favorite out of the friends.

As Jack got off of Emily's lap, he approached both Aria and Jason, standing in front of them. With a smile Aria whisked him off his feet and began continuously tickling and planting kisses all over. "You're a little flirt you know that?" Aria joked as he gave a jolly laugh from his stomach and wrestled against Aria's hold.

"Ari," he said breathless when she finally stopped. "I missed you."

"I missed you too buddy," she smiled, kissing him on the nose for real this time. Jason smiled at the pair of them; both now in his arms somewhat. Aria was really good with Jack, more than he ever was with kids and he wondered what their future was going to be like. Did Aria want kids like he did? Did she want to stay around Rosewood and raise them?

Jack started to calm down as he lay looking up at the stars on Aria's lap. She had been slightly swaying her legs back and forth while humming, making his sugary high sooth right down. Eyes began to droop and before anyone knew it, he was out.

"I'll get him," Greg said getting up from his seat. Scooping his son in his arm, he picked him up gently and announced they should start heading back.

"Mike will you help Andrea?" Ella asked getting up to leave too.

"That's my cue too," Ashley said standing up.

"Hopefully you have enough room for us?" Andrea asked Ella as they talked about staying arrangements.

"Of course," Ella cheered, waving off the worry to the pregnant woman.

"Jason, don't get up," Greg insisted lightly as Jason went to get up from behind Aria so he could show his guests the door out. "You both look very content." Aria immediately blushed, seeing the way her uncle was staring at them. "It was a pleasure to meet you Jason," Andrea called with wave as she got up from her seat. "I'm sure we'll see you around."

"Aria," Ella called, telling her she should get up and say goodbye to her family.

"Oh no, don't," Andrea said waving the gesture off. "We will see you back at the house. Have a good night okay you guys? Oh and it was nice meeting the rest of you too. Thanks for playing with my son," she smiled happily.

Everyone said their goodbyes to Aria's family and Mrs. Marin, watching as they left from sight.

"What a night," Toby sighed, exhausted from playing with Jack earlier.

"Feel like sleeping over?" Jason murmured in Aria's ear.

"Like I would object," Aria coyly smiled back. Asking Spencer to be her cover, Aria quickly pulled out her phone and texted her mom to where she was staying. For a while, the friends talked and laughed. Sometimes they would bring up the randomest topics, but they always had a story to go with it.

"We should get home, I'm beat," Hanna said staring into the fire tiredly with Caleb behind her.

"Me too," Emily agreed. With the group standing up, they all gave hugs and promised to see each other again tomorrow.

Aria and Jason stayed outside for a while, watching as the fire died down and the night sky shined brighter. "It was a good day," she declared happily as they sat together with blankets wrapped around them.

"It was," he confirmed, kissing the side of her face.

"When did you know Caleb was back?" Aria asked turning to look at Jason.

"I didn't really. I told Spencer to tell Toby and whoever else about the bonfire. He got back today right?" Jason replied.

"Yea," she smiled. Caleb had been with his mom in California for the time being, and he was supposed to stay longer but after missing Hanna for so long, he took a flight home and came to see her. "Hanna was pretty happy to see him. They seemed to miss each other."

"I'm glad," Jason said entwining his hands in hers as they cuddled further. He couldn't seem to get enough of Aria. She was everything to him and watching her today made him fall for her even more.

"So what should we do with the rest of the night?" Aria asked him with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Oh, I can think of a few things," he grinned before setting his lips on hers.

* * *

The two were always a bit frisky and had their fun when it came to making out. At times, Jason's hands would wander or Aria would tug on his hair in pleasure, but it never went as far as they let it the night of the bon fire. Something was ignited between the two and it took them a while to stop. After fooling around outside for a while, the two shoved their way inside and did a dance all around the house. They crashed into walls, rolled off the couch, and even stumbled up the stairs all while keeping their lips against each other. Jason's shirt came off somewhere in the family room and Aria's sweatshirt and top was lost near the stairs so now only modeling a fitted tank top.

When they arrived on Jason's bed, with Aria underneath him, the two finally began to cool down. Neither of them were ready for such a thing as sex yet. Aria was only 18 and he being 22, it was still too fast in their relationship. They both understood the silent agreement of not doing anything too soon, so when it became too steamy, Jason pulled away from Aria with a heavy breath and rolled himself to cuddle next to her.

"Have you ever thought about the future?" Jason asked her as she curled up on her side to face him.

"Like college and stuff? I mean, yea considering we had to turn in our applications a while ago…" She answered, propping her head up with her arm. "Its scary to think about but we're moving on from high school and Rosewood. We are finally growing up."

"So…what do you see?" he wondered, lightly running his fingers over her skin, "for the future."

"Well, that's kind of hard to say," she said watching him cautiously. "What do you see?"

"A future with you," he said honestly, gathering courage to meet her eyes. "I see my life with you." Her eyes were kind and loving, showing no wrong to his answer. Leaning in, she kissed him softly. "What else?" she wondered as they moved so she could lie on his chest to hear his heartbeat.

"Would you leave Rosewood?" he wondered, trying to picture their life together.

"I don't know," she said shifting her head a bit, "maybe. There are so many variables to the future that it's hard to think about. I don't want to set something and later be disappointed you know?"

He understood where she was coming from a little, but he also wanted to know what they were going to do and be. He wanted to start mapping out things for them and really set their future.

"Say you get into NYU," he envisioned as he held her. "What would you do?"

"I would rush over here and make you pack your things," she said glancing up at him with a teasing tone. Even though he smiled and loved the answer, he was being more serious than that, and she noticed it. Shifting around, she laid on her stomach and really looked at him. "What is this about?"

"I just want to start seeing our future that's all," he answered guardedly. Although that was true, he wanted more too. As girly as it sounded, he wanted that happily ever after with Aria. He had been pining over her for so long, since he was a teen, that he wanted their life to be perfect.

She considered her reply for a bit before adding more to her own answer. "It would be a dream come true to get into NYU," she said. "And it would be great for you to go with me. I know we talked about it – that you would join me – but I wouldn't make you have to do that. I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to go when it doesn't have to be like that."

He went to speak up, but she continued to look at his bare chest and speak. "After hearing my uncle's story today it made me realize that love is stronger than anything. It wouldn't matter if we were half way across the world from each other, I think we could do it," she said glancing up at him. "You built a business for yourself here and we both call it home. Me leaving for a while would be temporary and we would survive."

"But anyways," she said clearing the clouds from her head. "I picture myself with you – whether your with me at college or not. We could be living in Rosewood or somewhere new. Honestly, I can't say I've put it together perfectly, but I will try."

Altering their positions on the bed again, Jason moved so he was gently laying on top of Aria, staring directly into her gorgeous eyes. "You are the only person I ever want to be with. I'm not letting you go so easily."

Aria let out a laugh and leaned up to kiss him. "I'd go anywhere for you Ar." Bringing a hand up to his face, Aria pushed the blonde hair away from his eyes and took careful note of all his features. "Why the sudden questions?"

He gave a sigh, and then bowed his head further to kiss her neck as a distraction from the matter. "Jason," she breathed out before moaning. Trying to push at his shoulders to get him to stop, she felt her toes curl in pleasure. The neck was a big weakness for Aria; she was like silly putty in his hands when he kissed her there.

"I'm being serious here," she said trying not to moan again as he continued. Aria swore that he had the best lips. The feeling of him against her skin, sucking or kissing; It felt so good she had a hard time forming words. Tugging on his hair, she arched her back a bit and really tried to make him stop. "You're not getting out of this."

His actions came to a slow stop as Aria no longer made a peep. Looking up, he saw she had been biting her lip, keeping quiet so she could finally get his attention. "What's with the questions?" she repeated somewhat breathlessly.

"Haven't you ever thought about the future?" he groaned, moving back to his side of the bed.

"Oh I have," she said pulling up the covers around her. "I told you I have, but there is something more to what you're telling me." He let out a long huff while glancing up at the ceiling. Ugh, when did he become such a girl?

"Please tell me," she murmured with her hands folded under her head on his chest watching him.

"Something about today just made me wonder where we were going. I've known you for so long Ar, and finally having a relationship with you has been…amazing."

"You sound like you want us to break up," she stated completely confused. Moving to sit up so they could talk better, he quickly rushed to push that idea away. "No, I'm not trying to say that at all!"

"Then what are you getting at here Jason?" she wondered sitting up against his headboard.

"I love you," he stated while gazing at her. "And the future can be a scary thing."

Tilting her head, Aria was still bewildered. Puzzles were not always her strong suit, especially with 'A'. "I just want to make sure you want to spend your life…your future…with me – to have kids, to get married, to buy a house and do all those crazy things."

"Is that what this is about?" she wondered now catching on. "Kids and stuff?"

Jason was stuck at a stand still. Did he really want to throw away his man card and say yes? That the her little cousin Jack brought all this on when he ran to Aria when he saw her and fell asleep on her legs. Did he want to confess that he wanted that? That he wanted a future for himself and Aria where things weren't so messed up – where you could have a future that didn't involve a dead sister and secrets. Did he want to express all of it?

"Jack brought this all on didn't he?" she asked him, clearly reading his face. Jason wanted to shake his head and deny it all, but then he would be lying. He couldn't think of another excuse or reason to why he was suddenly bringing up their future and this talk.

"I know kids are still a long ways away to be having this talk…" he trailed off with a deep breath, still trying to rack his brain for where he was going on in this speech.

"That's why you're asking me about staying in Rosewood after college and stuff? You're worried about our future?" Aria asked cutting him off while connecting all of the dots together. She was a bit off based about being worried of their future. Jason wasn't worried, not one bit. He knew Aria loved him and he loved Aria; it was simple and they didn't question it. But he did wonder. Wonder was the word. Were they ever going to have kids? When? How many? Would she want girls or boys?

God he was such a loser…

"Jase," Aria said glancing at him with a small curious smile.

"Never mind," he groaned, lying back against the mattress.

"No," she said encouragingly. Straddling him now, she took his hands off his face and sparkled with happiness. "Jack brings out a lot of questions for us – I get that," she said kindly. "So ask me anything you want."

He sighed, not really sure if he wanted to get into the whole twenty questions thing. "Your uncle was talking to me today," he finally settled for which threw Aria off her game. "We were talking about sports, childhood, how you and I met," he said glancing up at her for a quick second to see her reaction. "Hell, we even swapped stories about each other."

"And?" she wondered softly.

"And it was all very…revealing," he said. "I struggled for years and years trying to deal with my crush on you Aria," he admitted, "and for the longest time I thought that you didn't feel the same, that you couldn't because I was Ali's brother."

Aria glanced away knowing that was not the case. She liked him even more because he was Ali's brother. It meant she got to see him frequently and try to talk to him. "I want our future to be so different from what we've been living. I hate this small town gossip and how fast news spreads. I want us to live without secrets and miscommunication. There should be space for us to breathe and not be judged."

His words sparked things in Aria's memory. As he talked about small town gossip, she knew he was talking about his sister's death. Thinking about secrets; that was directed to her and what she was hiding from him – what she was still hiding (about 'A'). Bringing up miscommunication was all about their short break up. (It was still unclear how that all went down, but it still bothered both of them). And finally the judging. That was mostly about Spencer and the town. When they became a couple, many people, including Spencer had a hard time dealing with it. Many thought it was odd that Ali's brother was dating one of her best friends and vice versa. The two of them had to go through some hardships, and tough words, but they got through it over time and the town adjusted to the sight.

"I'm still getting to know you Ar," he stated. "I'm still learning about your childhood and funny habits; I'm still getting to know your family and ways of thinking."

"But," she wondered.

"But nothing. I want to know more – I crave it. Your uncle told me so many stories of you and made me promise to treat you well. He looks at you more than a niece and as your second father, but your actual one. I felt like I was really dealing with a father when I talked to him. It couldn't even measure to what your own dad said to me that night of our first date."

"I know," Aria sighed. "He watches over us a lot," she said thinking of her uncle. "Even though he isn't around often, he has seen and experienced some hard things in his life. Protectiveness is something he's big on – it's the biggest quality of him."

"Ar," Jason breathed, "I'm happy he is. But he also made me realize that because I love you, I should know everything about you."

"Everything huh?" she asked with a small smile.

"You've been hiding something from me," Jason claimed quietly. "I'm not sure what it is, and we haven't brought it up in a while…"

"Jason," she warned. 'A' was not a good thing to bring up before bed. "Look," she sighed, shutting him down from asking the questions she knew he was dying to ask. "We don't know everything about each other, but we will – we can. And as for my uncle, he lives like it's his last moment. It's who he is. What he's trying to say to you Jason is to take everything in and not to let life pass us." Leaning forward, she hovered over his face and whispered softly "We're together now, that's all that matters."

* * *

A new day shined on them from the curtains of his bedroom. Groaning, both Aria and Jason cuddled closer with each other to block out the sun. Just as they were both about to fall back asleep, there was an incessant knocking at the door. Jason, clearly pissed off and tired, walked downstairs and opened the door.

"Uh…hi," Spencer said awkwardly with her arm still up in the air. "Is Aria still here? I need to talk to her for a quick second."

"What's up Spence?" Aria squinted against the incoming sun as she ended up following Jason down.

"Uhh…" Spencer blanked as Jason still stood there.

"Right, I'll go make some coffee," he announced, leaving the doorway as he got the hint.

"Get out here," Spencer commanded pulling Aria by the elbow and gritting her teeth together when Jason went out of sight. Situating her out onto the front porch, Spencer reached over and shut the front door. "Do you not pick up your cell phone anymore?!"

"I didn't hear it?" Aria asked hoping it was a viable excuse. Throwing it out, Spencer rolled her eyes and went frigid again. "We have a huge problem."

"What happened?" Aria asked waking up some more.

"Caleb worked on that video encrypted in your phone during break."

"Wait, I thought he was going to stop," Aria asked like with an expression similar to a deer in headlights.

"You and me both. Hanna is super pissed and Emily is freaking out. But anyways, he just brought it over, you need to see it," Spencer rambled back urgently.

"Have you watched it yet?" Aria asked tying up her hair into a high pony.

"No, we were waiting for you to pick up your phone, but after about 15 calls later, I just marched over here instead," Spencer grumbled.

"Yea yea," Aria replied. "Alright, let me go put some better clothes on and I'll be over there in a minute."

"Yea," Spencer agreed, "speaking of which," she said before Aria could go into the house, "a half naked Jason? Why no shirt Aria?"

Rolling her eyes, Aria hid her blush by opening the front door and repeated she would be over in a few minutes. Shutting the door behind her, Aria trotted upstairs and tried to find her bag.

"Hey Jase? Do you know where–?"

"Ah," she said spotting it on the floor near the back door. Slipping on a V-neck tee over her tank top, she quickly shut the curtains and then changed out of her old shorts to new ones.

"Where are you off to?" he asked peering at her from the kitchen.

"Spencer's," Aria sighed, quickly trying to touch up her make up. Moving the curtains back to their place, she trotted back upstairs. "She needs me for something."

"Everything okay?" he called to her. Standing in front of the bathroom sink, Aria put toothpaste on her toothbrush and tried not to think about it. "Fine," she called back to him before sticking the thing in her mouth. Quickly rinsing when she was done, she stuffed the items back in her purse and came back downstairs.

"Skipping breakfast too?" he asked her when she put her shoes on.

"I'll grab something at Spencer's."

Kissing him quickly on the cheek as she passed, she ran from his house and to Spencer's.

"Okay, what's going on?" she asked her friends as she came in the back way and saw them all sitting around the kitchen and living room.

"Watch," Spencer said already having viewed it since she was so impatient. It was the second half of the N.A.T video that connected with the first one 'A' sent them. Ian was now telling Garrett he was "going down" and pulls out the camera from where it was hidden. Garrett and Ian began fighting just as Alison enters the room and then the tape suddenly stops there.

Aria was speechless after it ended. "Play it again," she instructed. Watching it another time, Aria was still at a loss for words.

"Caleb, I'm not sure if I want you to find the rest," Emily admitted fearfully.

"I second that," Hanna stated with force.

"How else are we supposed to figure out who this 'A' person is?" Caleb asked them.

"Caleb-" Aria started, but was cut off when there was a knocking sound and everyone turned to see Jason through the glass window door staring at them.

"Oh crap," Spencer stated. Holding her breath, Aria slipped off the stool and opened the door.

"Hey," she said cautiously.

"You forgot this – I didn't know if you needed it," he said holding up her bag. Mentally slapping herself, she forgot she had dropped it on the floor when she put on her shoes.

"Uh…thanks," she smiled, which looked more like a grimace as she took it from him.

"Everything okay here?" Jason asked, looking from Aria to everyone else.

"Yea," Spencer said standing in front of the laptop. "Just going over some school things," she stumbled, quickly moving a hand behind her to shut the laptop's screen.

"Right," Jason replied unbelieving. "I'll see you later then," he told Aria while still analyzing her.

"Sure," she forcefully smiled. Watching as he left, she quickly shut the door and leaned against it.

"Do you think he saw anything?" Emily wondered.

"He definitely knew something was up," Spencer said turning back around.

"Let's wrap this up quick guys," Aria instructed before going back to the computer and playing the tape again.

"Wait, hold up," Caleb said, taking control over his computer as he and the girls watched the clip over and over. "Right there," he said trying to zoom in on something.

"What is that?" Aria wondered.

"I don't know," he said trying to clear up the image.

"Okay stop," Hanna said ready to burst. "Caleb, you need to quit this."

"Hanna!" he protested when she shut his computer.

"No, no more," she instructed.

"Han," Spencer said carefully.

"No," Hanna snapped at her friend. "You know what can happen if he continues this. Caleb's done you guys," she told her friends. The girls knew what she was talking about and couldn't seem to blame her. Hanna had a right to be worried about her boyfriend's safety.

"Alright," Caleb sighed as he saw Hanna overly worried for him. "I'll stop."

"Us too," Aria spoke up for them. "No more."

"Thank you," Hanna sighed. Standing around quietly, the girls still continued to reel over or what the picture could have been. It was blurry and pixilated, but it looked like an ID of someone. If only they could figure it out…

"Can Caleb at least send this to me?" Spencer huffed with curiosity. She couldn't seem to let it go.

"Spencer!" Hanna protested.

"What?" she responded defensively. "We are so close to figuring out who 'A' is. Maybe it's that person in that image."

"Its too dangerous," Hanna decided. "I'm sorry, but I don't want Caleb doing this anymore." Caleb looked a little sullen while Spencer seemed frustrated. Giving an aggravated outburst, the teenage Hastings stomped upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. Hanna rolled her eyes, telling Caleb they should go while Emily and Aria glanced at each other; unsure of what side they should take.

* * *

Parting ways was awkward to say the least. After watching Hanna and Caleb go, Emily and Aria took some time to talk about what they were going to do.

"I really don't want to pick a side," Emily stated as they walked down the driveway of Spencer's house.

"Me either," Aria agreed. "Its like picking one friend over another."

"What are we going to do?" Emily asked her worriedly. "Its not like we can push Caleb to help us, but Aria, that picture seems vital to solving this whole 'A' thing."

Aria sighed while running a hand through her hair on what to do. "I'm not ever sure what I saw today Em," Aria admitted. "As good as it sounds to think that we are getting closer to finding out who 'A' is I still feel like we are on some wild goose chase. Don't you feel like your running around with your head cut off?"

"'A' is right behind us ready to chop our heads _**off**_," Emily corrected, "so I feel more like I'm like running for my life," she stated. Groaning, the girls continued to walk and talk.

"Maybe Hanna will lighten up," Emily declared.

"Em, she got run over by a car with 'A' driving it. I don't really see her getting passed that and letting Caleb get back on 'A's radar."

"So what do we do then?"

"I don't have a clue," Aria sighed. "I guess just keep our heads down and see if Hanna will come around. We can't really expect her too but I can't think of anything else to do."

"He's the only one we know that can figure out what the image is Aria," Emily sighed. "Maybe Spencer is right."

"Even if she is," Aria said, "we don't have a right to keep asking Caleb for help. I know if Jason was in the same place that Caleb is in, I would be right where Hanna was."

"I guess," Emily shrugged. "Wouldn't you if it was Samara on 'A's hurt list?" Aria asked defensively to her friend. Emily went quiet and understood then. The expression of putting yourself in someone else's shoes really came in handy there.

"Do you think 'A' will always be after us?" Emily wondered as they came to a stop in front of Aria's house.

Aria furrowed her eyebrows and tried to really think about it. Would her future always consist of 'A'? "There has to be an endgame right?" she asked glancing up to Emily for confirmation. "This can't go on forever."

"But how is the game supposed to end?"

"Good question," Aria said trying not to think about it. Hopefully, for all their sake it wouldn't end in another death…

**_A/N: Dun dun dunnn! Glad you all liked Jack, Greg, and Andrea. There will be more coming up soon. Hopefully I did a better job of proofreading this one. (If not, so sorry haha). Anyone have an ideas of what's going to happen next? I'd love to hear what you think so like always, please review!_**


	36. Chapter 36

**_A/N: Thank you so much everyone! I loved all the reviews. I'm trying to keep it long but also only uploading one chapter at a time (unless they somewhat go together) since we are close to the end and i'm still trying to perfect all the loose ends! Please take some time to review like you all have been doing. I enjoy it so much!_**

Aria had yet to see Jason since he stopped by Spencer's to drop off her bag. At first, she was worried that he had been avoiding her but because they talked on the phone every night it was an unreasonable though. Jason had been swamped with the center and his own business, and she had work and her family in town. Time seemed to be against them for visiting, especially since school was still on break.

"That's really good," Aria complimented to Jack as she watched him color. She was on babysitting duty today since Mike had basketball practice and the adults were out in Phili. Aria wasn't sure what the parents were doing especially since Andrea was supposed to be on bed rest, but she was sure they were fine (her mom did check in with her through text anyways).

Hearing a knock on the door, Aria told Jack to stay put while she went and got it. Glancing through the curtains on the back porch door, Aria saw that it was Jason.

"Hey stranger," she smiled, letting him come in.

"Hey," he said quickly kissing her before she shut the door.

"Jack, do you remember my friend Jason?" she wondered to Mike.

Glancing up, he nodded and then went back to coloring. "Hi."

"So, what are you guys up to?" Jason wondered, stepping closer to Jack to try to get him to open up to him.

"We are coloring," Aria answered when she saw her cousin wasn't paying much attention to Jason.

"Can I see?" Jason asked bending down to Jack's level. Pulling back, Jack held his crayon in his hand and showed him the picture.

"This is mommy," he said pointing to the yellow haired stick figure woman, "and this is daddy."

"Who is this?" Jason wondered, pointing to the dark haired girl holding a little boy's hand.

"That's Ari and me," he said.

"And him?" Jason asked looking at a figure that looked like Mike.

"Mikey and Auntie Ella," he answered, staring at the two other figures in the picture.

"You seem to be a real artist," Jason noted as he stared at the kid.

"Ari put a bunch of pictures I drew in her room," he claimed with bright eyes.

"Oh yea, and what were they of?" Jason asked in the same gentle and enthusiastic tone. As Aria watched them interact, her heart melted. So this is what Jason felt when he saw Jack with her. The sight was so loving and she could see why he wanted to know about their future so badly.

"I'll show you, come on," he said hopping down from his chair and taking Jason's hand to lead him the way. Startled, Jason quickly got up and followed the kid. Sneaking a glance at Aria, he saw her smiling.

"These are awesome," he said after seeing a bunch of hand drawn pictures hung around the walls of her room.

"That ones my baby sister," he said pointing to one of his drawings she hung above her desk.

"Think that's what she will look like?" Jason wondered to the kid as he picked him up in his arms so he could point to more.

"Yea, mommy and daddy said she had hair."

Aria gave a laugh as she leaned against her doorway. Jack was so attentive and smart it amazed her sometimes.

"Jack, did you want to go watch cars?"

"Yea!" he cheered, wiggling from Jason's arms and running for the downstairs.

"Be careful!" Aria called as she saw him leave in a hurry. Jason slipped his hand in hers and the two walked downstairs. Jack was already situated on the couch waiting for his movie to be put on. Getting it all set up, Aria pressed play and made sure he was settled in before leaving the room to talk to Jason. He was still in eye view as the two of them stood in the kitchen so she could keep her attention on both her boys.

"Missed you," Jason murmured to her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning down for a kiss, he was granted a quick one. "So what can I do for you?" she asked him, taking a quick glance over to the family room.

"Our three month is coming up. I was thinking I could steal you away for the night," he said.

"Isn't our three month in like…a month from now?" Considering the two of them broke up for a while, Aria was unsure if it actually counted.

"Who said we really broke up during that time?" he asked her. Jason kept kicking himself for that time period they weren't together together. It haunted the pair like a sickness.

"Tomorrow then?" she questioned, thinking that then would be the exact date they became a couple.

"I'll pick you up at 7."

"Where are we going?" she wondered with excitement as he held onto her.

"It's a secret," he murmured to her lips as he came closer and closer to them. Giving a coy smile, he pushed the two of them together and wrapped her into a long passionate kiss.

"I'll see you then, then," She replied when they parted. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nope. It's just you and me. Dress casual if you want, it won't really matter."

"Hmm…" she said gathering hints from the words. Hearing his cell phone ring, the two broke apart from each other a bit more so he could dig out the device from his pocket.

"I should go," he told Aria after glancing at the screen. "I love you," he told her, moving some hair from his face.

"Love you too," she replied, kissing him again with a peck and showing him the door. After he left, Aria let her heart flutter in happiness and sat with Jack to watch the movie to compose herself.

* * *

"Do you remember this place?" he asked Aria, dragging her into some antique shop. Tomorrow had finally come and Jason picked her up at seven on the dot. He was thinking he was going to be getting another father/ daughter speech from her uncle, this time coming fully prepared to hear it, but it never came. Instead, when Greg answered the door, he welcomed Jason in with a smile and told the two to have fun. It was a bit surprising, but Jason suspected that the older man said what he needed to say to him at the bon fire.

"Have we been here together before?" she wondered, not recalling a time where they went into this place ever.

"You might remember it differently from what it is now," he said walking around the shop with his hand in hers to a certain spot.

"Right here," he said placing her in one area and him in the other.

"I'm still lost," she admitted, unsure why she was standing here and what this had to do with their date.

"The place used to be called Tara's Trinkets. Do you remember it now? You were standing here looking at some black bracelet with spikes on it…"

Mulling it over for a few seconds, Aria looked over to where she was standing near the window and imaged the table with jewelry. Tara's Trinkets…the name and details seemed so familiar but why? What did she have to do with them? Continuing to think, Aria let it all come back to her.

"This is the first time I met Ali …and you," she said in disbelief. Musing over the time change, she stood there and remembered that day. Aria had been shopping in Tara's Trinkets the summer before her freshman year of high school while her mom was two shops over. As Aria looked through all of the jewelry, finding a cool bracelet she liked, Ali came up to her and gave some compliment about it. It was amazing that the Alison DiLaurentis was talking to her considering she went to school with her for years and never said a word to her, let alone a compliment. At the time Aria was so flustered talking to her. She was never in the popular crowd and was curious to why she was doing what she did.

Smiling to herself, she remembered how her and Ali stood there talking for a while. It was then, that they became best friends. Ali must have complimented her at least 20 times about her style and what she was wearing before she finally reciprocated. And then came Jason. He had to go search for her sister to get her butt home for dinner. Aria recalled how handsome she thought he looked. It was probably the start of her crush on him.

"I can't believe this place," Aria said now fully taking a look around. The poor jewelry store went out of business fairly quick and it had been replaced with this antique store.

"I remember being so pissed I had to track Ali down again," Jason stated, "Not only did I have to walk in almost every girly store to find her, but I hated when I had to be her babysitter."

Aria remembered he used that phrase a lot when he came around her and the rest of their friends. He claimed that Ali was old enough to know when dinner was herself or some line like that.

"But then I saw you," he told her. "I wasn't sure if it was my surprise that calmed me down or something else, but when I saw you I wasn't angry anymore. I walked up to you guys and–"

"Told Ali to come home – dinner was ready," she recalled. Jason broke out into a smile; glad she remembered the day too.

"It was the first time I ever met you," he spoke. Aria gave an embarrassed laugh and nodded. She remembered him coming into the shop and when he stopped in front of them, she raised her hand and stuck it out for him to shake. "Aria Montgomery," she told him outgoingly. He gave her the most strange and surprised look wrapped in one and Ali commented for him to take it. And when he did, man, Aria thought she melted in a huge puddle right there. She remembered how soft and good his hand felt against hers. And when that was over, they left. She was given Ali's number to start hanging out and Jason disappeared from her sight.

"Just goes to show you how far we've come," he stated, now moving to stand in front of her.

"That's the understatement of the year," she said smiling up at him. "Between the both of us, it took us too long to get here. I mean, without even realizing it we had been crushing on each other for years."

"Ali was always going to stand in our way though," he commented as he wrapped his arms around her wait. The comment twisted something in Aria and she wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean.

"I'm glad we are here," he told her, breaking the thoughts off from her head. Cracking a smile, Aria leaned up to Jason and planted a kiss to his lips.

* * *

"The pink hair," Jason claimed as they walked out of the place and to the rest of their date. "I think that's what surprised me most when I saw Ali talking to you. She was never one to really like…"

"Outcasts?" Aria supplied not having trouble facing the past truths. Jason shook his head. "People with a heart. When I first met you, you actually seemed nice. For Ali, her friends all used to be stuck up teenage snobs. It was a weird change."

Aria silently agreed; it had been quite a turn for the DiLaurentis to become friends with her.

"I miss that pink hair," he stated. Gazing at him, Aria gave a big grin. She kind of missed it too. Turning his eyes back to the road, he dove out into the night. "And you had that dog collared bracelet in your hands…Alison would never have worn that."

"No," Aria laughed, "but she liked it on me – its how we got started talking. She came and complimented me."

"That doesn't sound like Ali," he told his girlfriend as he drove in the car.

"I know right?" she said thinking it over. Alison was never one to give compliments unless it had some harsher meaning to it or followed with mean words. It was weird that Ali gave her a true compliment that one day. Aria shook the curiosity from her head and glanced at Jason. "How did you remember that place used to be there?"

"I remember when it switched," he said. "My dad had bought Ali something from there the night before it was worn down so that she could have something there that no one else would."

Aria raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if it meant something. Ali always kept secrets and with 'A'…

"What?" Jason asked, glancing at her from the road.

"Nothing, just surprised Ali never really told us about it."

"It was some tacky thing – pretty ugly actually. He got her this look a like doll of her. Honestly it scared the heck out of me, but she kept it for my dad's sake."

"What?" Aria asked with the gears now turning in her head. Look a like doll? Was that too similar to what 'A' gave them or what?

"She probably just didn't want to show you guys because it was freaky," he shrugged. "She hated the thing anyways and kept it in the back of her closet."

"Oh," Aria said trying to pass off a cool demeanor. This was not a coincidence. As Jason snuck a glance at her again, he wondered what she was thinking. Aria was acting weird again, staring into space like she was figuring out a puzzle in her head. Breaking out of her own thoughts, she pulled out her phone, texted somebody and shut it off.

"So where are we going?" she asked, back to her normal self.

"There is this art fair I thought you might like," he confessed. "It's not too far from Phili, but it's a drive. Did you want to go?"

"Of course," she replied feeling excited.

"Hey Jase?" she asked when the radio filled the silence. Quickly looking at her, she blushed and played with her hands in her lap. "Thank you…for tonight."

Taking one of her hands from her lap, he entwined it with hers and kissed the back of it, not saying a word.

They made it to the art fair in good time. It was set up near the docks of the water, with a bunch of small tables and tents with hanging lights all around. The sight was really calming and pretty. Aria had never really been to an art fair like this before.

"Come on," Jason told her as he helped her from his car. Taking her hand, the two started from the beginning and took their time to look at everything.

"Ooo, look at this," she told Jason bringing him near. There were a bunch of long black cord necklaces hanging up. The simple silver charms were Chinese symbols each meaning something different.

"Really?" he asked when Aria picked one up and put it around his head.

"It looks good," she thought, standing back to observe him.

"I fell like your girlifying me," he spoke, glancing down to the small symbol.

"Its just a necklace. Its not like I'm strapping some bracelet on your wrist and making you put on mascara," she said with an eye roll. Turning back to the table, she continued looking. "I'll take it," Jason said to the guy running the tent.

"No Jason," Aria huffed turning back to him. "If you don't like it that's fine. I just thought it suited you."

"I like it," he agreed, kissing her slowly. "You're just saying that," she said breaking from their kiss to try and alleviate her guilt.

"I wouldn't buy it if I wouldn't wear it Aria," he said with honesty in his eyes as he brushed her cheekbone. Slinging an arm around her shoulder, he smiled. "Now all I have to do is find something for you."

"Oh, do you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Its only fair don't you think?" he asked with a glimmer in his eye as he smiled at her. Taking the bag from the man, the two of them walked out of the tent stopping before the next one. "Put it on me again," he instructed.

"Jason, you really don't have to wear it," Aria commented as he took the jewelry out of the bag.

"Ar, put it on me," he commanded kindly. Bowing his head again, Aria put the necklace over his head and settled it around his neck, reaching on her tiptoes to tighten the two knots.

"How's it look?" he asked her when she finished. The small charm felt in the middle of his chest, showing off the black chord nicely.

"Good," she smiled. Kissing her again, Jason took her hand again and led her to the next tent. It was a while before he picked out something for her. A few times he found necklaces, and there was one bracelet he liked, but none of them stood out to him.

"Flowers? Really? Do I look like a flowery type person?" she asked him over his shoulder when he picked up this flowered engraved ring.

"You wear flowered shirts all the time," he defended.

"They're patterned ones. There's a difference."

Jason rolled his eyes, settling that he lost the battle. He was a man who didn't have a clue about girl's fashion. "Fine, but I wouldn't have gotten you that anyways." Smiling, Aria kissed him lightly before she continued to make her way underneath the tent. Even though the conversation was light and full of banter, she did wonder what he was going to end up picking out for her.

"So what does it mean anyways?" he asked her as they went over to the next table.

"What?" she wondered.

"This thing," he replied holding up the Chinese symbol. "Strength," she answered, looking down to some more little things. Jason had bought her so much already. He made her get the spiked hoop earrings she liked, the purse she thought was cute, and a hat that was in style. He had only bought himself another picture frame and that necklace.

"I'm going to go look at the next one, you coming?" Aria wondered as he searched carefully.

"You go ahead, I'll be right there."

"Okay," she shrugged, moving onto the next tent. While she was gazing at all the new things at the next place over, Jason had his eyes set on a certain bracelet – it was thicker, like Jason knew Aria liked to wear. The bands of the bracelet were a bunch of thin chain strands where charms hung off. In different spots, he made the jewler put on a small camera, the word love, courage, and bravery. He also added other meaningful things about Aria to the piece. When he was done, he quickly paid and caught up to her.

She was gazing at some scarf, trying it on in the mirror.

"Hey," she smiled when he appeared behind her. Giving the woman-helping Aria a $20 bill for the scarf, he led her out of the tent and back into the empty space with her trying to process and protest it all. "Wha-"

"Here," he said giving her the bag. "I finally found something." Nervous, he watched her take the item carefully and unwrap what it was inside. When she opened it she was surprised to see such a exquisite piece. She must have passed by it on the tables and never saw it. The bracelet itself was so simple and unlike Aria, but the width and uniqueness of it all was perfectly her. She gazed at all the charms, smiling at the meaning, and watched as it twinkled against the lights.

"This is beautiful," she told him, wanting to put it on right away. Letting out a breath of relief, he gently clasped it onto her wrist. "Is this what you were getting over there?" he nodded, running his hand over the jewelry he picked. "It wasn't exactly your style but…"

"No, its perfect," she smiled.

"Well, then instead of being my backup this can be just something to remember the night with," he said pulling out a little jewelry bag out of his back pocket.

"Jason," she scolded. Aria had told him over and over throughout the night he didn't need to buy her these things and it was too much, but he chose to ignore it. They didn't do this whole going out thing often and they made it to their three-month anniversary. He had been waiting to take her out somewhere special for the longest time. Plus, he had to admit, seeing Aria so carefree and happy like this was worth every dime – not that he had to watch that kind of stuff. Money for him wasn't hard; between his own income and his fortune from his inheritance, he was well set and not running into a worry.

Aria broke out into a smile and held the other piece up. It was a long chained necklace and at the bottom was an open silver flower, along with a purple gem and small grey bead. "Flowers huh?"

"Thought you were that type of girl," he teased watching her in love. "Thank you," she smiled up at him. "Anything for you," he murmured against her lips as they closed the space between them.

After walking around the whole art fair, with numerous bags in each of their hand, he took her down the dock and had them walk along the beach. Leading her a ways away, he helped her climb up some big rocks and showed her the view. She stood there in awe, looking out at the scene in front of her. Standing on the big rocks with salty wind blowing in her face, she was able to see the amazing ocean and full moon. It casted a bright reflection over the water and made everything glimmer.

"Happy Anniversary Ar," he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her. Prying her eyes away from the view, she shifted in his arms and stood face to face with him ready for a kiss. "Happy Anniversary Jase."

* * *

"Wow, look at all of this," Ella said when Aria walked through the door. It was late, around one a.m., but her mom, Andrea and her uncle Greg were all still up talking at the kitchen table.

"Where did you guys go?" Andrea wondered.

"Art fair," Aria smiled, going to show them all of her new things.

"Wow, look at this," Andrea stated, catching her eye on Aria's charm bracelet.

"Ooo, and this," Ella said catching the long necklace around her daughter's neck. "When were you into flowers?" Aria let out a laugh, thinking about to the same argument she had with Jason. Telling them it was a long story; she reached in her bags and explained everything else.

Both her hat and earrings were a hit, not to mention the scarf and purse. She also took out some new paintings and a caricature of her and Jason.

"Oh this needs to be hung up," Ella laughed as she glanced at the picture. Jason was posed kissing her cheek while Aria grinned like a fool. The artist did a really good job on their faces making them funny but serious at the same time. It was cute.

"Did Jason get anything?" Greg wondered.

"I forced him into a couple of things," Aria replied, thinking about the necklace. "And he bought himself a few more." Finishing off the night, Jason had picked out a picture frame, oil painted picture of the dock at night and took home a caricature of him and her, but with a different artist and a different pose. Instead of him kissing her, she was kissing him and instead of watercolors and permanent marker, which were used on her painting, he had real paint and fine detail.

"It sounds like you had fun," Ella smiled to her.

"I did," she beamed back.

"What a fun anniversary," Andrea commented. "I don't remember ever doing something like that."

"Hey!" her uncle protested.

"Our anniversary consisted of a dinner and a movie."

"What is wrong with that?" he wondered.

"Actually, now that I think about it, we didn't have a three month anniversary. We just had a one month."

"Well," Aria spoke up on defense for her uncle, "if it makes you feel any better, Jason and I didn't really celebrate our one month."

"…No," Andrea shrugged, " it doesn't. But thanks though." Turning back to her husband, she continued to jab at him for his errors in the past. Both Ella and Aria were chuckling at the brutality of what he was getting, and they had to laugh even more when Ella made a joke saying, "never mess with a pregnant woman." Finally to get her to stop her, Greg told Andrea he would be at her service for the rest of the week.

"You're going to regret that one buddy," she pointed out when he got up to get some more water.

"I don't doubt it," he muttered back.

**_A/N: The Jason/Aria moments = love!  
_**

**_ I definitely enjoyed writing this. And sorry Recovering4life, i've had this chapter saved for a while and I noticed in your recent update Aria also accepted a bracelet from Jason. If this is too similar to your story I would be happy to change it - please let me know if you are still reading this story. Thanks!_**

**_As for everyone else...review! The end to this story is near!_**


	37. Chapter 37

School began sooner than everyone anticipated and soon her uncle and his family needed to get back. Only having about a day or two with them left, she spent as much time at home as she could. At school and work, she dealt with her friends and 'A', but at home she made sure to clear her head from that. Greg could always read Aria like a book, and it didn't help to look anxious when 'A' came on her mind. After dodging her friends for a while (being busy almost everyday after school and at nights), it was finally clear they all needed to get together and talk. While on her anniversary date with Jason she texted them that Ali had the same dolls that were blackmailed to them and it couldn't have been a coincidence so they had been anxious to hear about the whole story ever since.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Aria said grabbing her things around the house as she tried saying goodbye to her Uncle and Jack who was looking gloomy that she was leaving.

"Its just dinner Jack, she'll be right back," Andrea repeated when's he saw how pouty her son looked.

"I'll bring you home a cookie," Aria bargained, kneeling in front of Jack to cheer him up.

"Chocolate chip," he requested, wrapping his arms around her neck in a hug.

"Got it," she smiled back, giving his nose a little kiss and his hair a shake when she stood up again.

"Oh mail," she exclaimed, stopping her way to the door to see if anything was for her. Flipping through a bunch of envelopes, most of them being bills, she found one that stuck out in particular. It was addressed to her and Mike. Tearing the paper, she opened it and took out the card.

'_**You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of Opal Grace Thomas and Byron Chad Montgomery'**_

Reading the date of the wedding, she saw it was only a few weeks away.

"Aria?" Andrea asked, peering over the table to see her face.

Curious to what she was looking at, Greg strolled over and leaned over her. It was a wedding invitation from their father. "Aria," he started to say. Before he could get anymore of his sentence out, she rejected it and said a quick goodbye again, slamming the door shut behind her. Glancing to his wife with the invitation in hand, the two of them knew she was hurting. Anyone who had to go through that would hurt and he wasn't sure what to do.

"Finally," Spencer exclaimed when she walked into the small café where they usually met. "What took so long?"

"Nothing, sorry," she said lifting her purse from over her shoulder.

"What's with you?" Hanna asked.

Shaking her head, Aria glanced away and out the window. "I got an invitation to my dad's wedding today before I left the house."

"Oh," Spencer said immediately going quiet.

"When is it?" Emily wondered.

"December 2nd," she said taking in a deep breath so she wouldn't cry. Luckily sitting next to her, Hanna wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder.

"Are you going to go?" Spencer wondered. Effortlessly shrugging, Aria wiped the tears from her face and turned back to her friends.

"Moving onto another topic," Emily said trying to alleviate some gloom from the day. Unfortunately Emily and Spencer didn't know what it felt like to have their father marry someone else. They didn't feel that hurt and betrayal of replacement when it came to adding another woman in their lives. Switching to a different topic was going to make Aria's hurt worse and Hanna knew that more than anyone. Aria leaned her head down on Hanna's shoulder and tried to switch her brain to 'A'.

"So this doll…" Spencer stated. "It was in Ali's room?"

"Her closet," Aria answered, lifting her head from Hanna and wiping her tears. "Jason said she thought it was creepy and that she stuffed it in the back."

"Does he know where she got it from?" Emily asked.

"Tara's Trinkets," she replied. "Her dad bought it for her right before the place was torn down."

The girls sat there thinking, unsure what this meant.

"Alright, so," Hanna said taking a deep breath. "I let Caleb try and depixilae the image," she confessed.

"What?" Spencer exclaimed as the rest of her friends looked at her wide-eyed.

"You were right Spence," Hanna shrugged, "if this brings us closer to taking down 'A' then I want to do it. I need to know who this bitch is so we can bring her down. And Caleb wouldn't stop shutting up about it anyways," she grumbled at the end.

"Did he find something?" Emily wondered.

"He said he would text me if anything came up," she answered. Deflated, all girls sat there antsy in their seats. Waiting was not a good thing to do, especially with 'A' lurking around. Going back to a few things about their pasts, all four of them talked about the evidence they had and what it could all mean. Some things still pointed to Garrett, some were in question, and a few were still aimed towards Jason.

"Come on," Hanna said grabbing her bag and getting up from her chair. Curious, the girls all quickly laid down a few bills for their meal and followed her out the door. She led them to some parking lot where Caleb was sitting in his car. Alongside him was his laptop, eager to show them something more.

"Its an ID," he told them when all the doors were shut. Showing them the image, it was a photo of a fake ID of some brunette girl.

"You guys, doesn't that look like Alison?" Aria wondered gazing at it closer.

"What does that say? Vivian Darkbloom?" Emily asked squinting at it.

"Does it ring any bells with you guys?" Caleb asked hopefully. They all shook their head and didn't seem to have a clue. "Great," he sighed.

"Well then this is the last of what Aria had on her phone," he said switching his screen to a video again. Pressing play, he showed another short part of the tape. It couldn't have been more than five or ten seconds, and it was of Melissa walking into Alison's room, angrily asking where Alison is. It wasn't much to see, but it was a lot to go on.

"I still don't know what this means," Emily claimed, shooting down the rest of Caleb's hopes of getting closer to who 'A' is.

"I'm confused now," Hanna claimed, sitting back in her seat.

"Maybe its time to call it a day," Spencer suggested. Doing jus that, they all pulled their minds together and went to leave.

"Thanks Caleb," Aria said getting out of the car.

"Be careful," he called to them as they all stepped out and shut the doors.

"You guys, come here," Spencer whispered. "It's a fake – the ID isn't real," she supplied for them when Caleb was out of sight and they were alone.

"Wait…she got a fake for herself?" Hanna asked.

"Remember when she took us to college parties and we needed fake IDs?"

"Wait, so you think she got herself two separate IDs?" Aria clarified with a question.

"I don't think – I know. It all makes sense now you guys," Spencer claimed.

Catching on, Emily went in shock. "Ali was being blackmailed by 'A' too…"

* * *

For the next hour and a half, the four of them sat back in the café and talked about the new information they obtained. This was a whole new game if Ali had been previously messed with 'A' too. Who knew how deep this really got.

"Halloween night and her mystery outings…" Spencer recalled for them.

"We always thought she was dating some guy she didn't want to tell us about," Emily said.

"She was trying to take down 'A'," Aria said still too surprised to comprehend this all.

"So then what really happened to her?" Hanna questioned in a small voice. No one dared to answer the question because they feared the answer.

"I have to go you guys," Aria sighed as she opened her phone to see her mom telling her to come home.

"No," Spencer whined.

"My mom wants me back at the house," she replied while getting up from her seat. "If there is anymore to talk about let me know. We can go over the rest at school tomorrow."

"You'll be there early?" Emily asked.

"Bright and shining," Aria groaned back, going up to the front counter and paying for a chocolate chip cookie before she left.

"Since when did she have an urge for cookies?" Hanna wondered.

"Who knows," Spencer replied rolling her eyes.

When Aria got home, all three adults were sitting at the kitchen table with somber face. Mike was sitting in the chair too, slouched down trying to look like he didn't care.

"What's going on?" Aria wondered when they looked at her.

"Can I go now?" Mike asked. With Ella nodding, he rushed upstairs and slammed his door.

"Come sit honey," Andrea said patting the seat next to her. Nervous, Aria slowly walked over to them and took her seat.

"I heard you saw your father's wedding invitation today," Ella started slowly, staring at her across the table. Ready to speak up, Andrea put a hand on Aria's to show that she just needed listen.

"Aria, I know that you feel like it's your responsibility to take care of this family but its not. It's my duty as a mother to watch over you kids and do things in your best interest. And this time," she said softly, "I think that you need to go to your fathers wedding."

"What? No," Aria said defensively when she was done.

"Aria," her mother sighed giving her a look.

"No mom," Aria protested again. "I'm not going to go watch him marry some bimbo he only met a month ago!"

"He's still your father Aria," her uncle said gently.

"Like that's supposed to mean something," she argued trying not to cry as she stood up from the table. "This entire month since he's met Opal he's been nothing like a father. All he cares about is that we respect his new wife like a mother and an equal."

"We know sweetie," Andrea said with an understanding face. "All we are saying is that maybe going to the wedding is the right thing to do."

"I will not stand up and watch the two of them get married at the church," she spoke defiantly.

"Aria," her mother said stronger this time.

"You can't make me do this," Aria said crossing her arms stubbornly.

Ella knew that stubbornness was a trait she got from her, and she knew there wasn't much she could do about it. Although Ella completely agreed it was a big thing to ask of her daughter, she had to because Byron was still the kids' father. Standing up with her empty tea mug, she frowned. "Then you are going to have to tell Opal and your father yourself that you won't be apart of their wedding."

Aria's heart and breathing stopped at the same time, unable to process what she just heard. "What?"

"Opal is having you and your brother be apart of the wedding," Ella answered from the kitchen sink.

"And what does Mike say about all of this?"

Andrea tried to come up with words. "He's…"

"Like you," Greg answered. "He's following your lead and saying no."

Aria swallowed hard and saw the bigger picture now. Mike was still young and even though he had problems with their dad, they always found a way to work it out. Mike and Byron always had a better and easier relationship than what Aria had with him. Mike was being defiant because of his consideration to his mother and sister. He was trying to step up and be the man of the house, but Ella didn't want that. Mike still needed that fatherly figure in his life and divorce wasn't an excuse to lose that. A reason Mike was having problems in the first place was because his life was so off balance and he didn't have a good support system at home. So to get him to go, Aria had to go and she could now see why it was so important that she take the lead and do this.

"What's my role?" she asked with her voice shaking.

"A bridesmaid," her mother said coming to sit back with a kinder tone.

"And Mike?"

"Best man," she answered. Nodding, Aria tried to breathe. It was like the house was caving in on her and her lungs weren't big enough to get a full breath of air in.

"We just want you to think about it," Andrea said watching her. Nodding again, Aria turned away on heel and went upstairs to sit and cry about it.

It was all too much to have this responsibility and expectation on her. She couldn't think or breathe or talk. It was like having a jumbled mess in your head, ready to scream it all out but for some reason all that happens is your mouth opening and nothing coming out. It hurt too. A stinging sensation was in chest and eyes when she thought about having to go watch her dad get married to someone else.

Aria slammed her door closed and leaned against her desk to try and breath. Everything inside of her felt numb and dizzy. Sliding to the floor, she tried to take in more deep breaths. Mike needed this; he needed a good relationship with his father. Mike needed stability; he needed a family. Calming herself then, she laid her head back against the wood and sat on the floor to get her bearings.

"Its a lot to take in, I know," Greg said sticking his head in when Aria glanced up to see who was opening her door. She stayed weakly in her spot on the floor, still trying to process it all in silence.

"Come on, let me in so we can talk about it," her uncle instructed gently. "I know that this is going to be a big deal for you and I want to help." Aria tried to ignore his words and presence. She didn't want to talk about it or share how she was feeling. For once, she just wanted some room to breathe and make a decision on her own. The presence of her uncle came more as a reminder that this was for Mike than that it was good for her too.

"I think I need to deal with this on my own right now," she stated with a shaky voice while staring blankly at the wall.

"As much as I want to give you space, i'm that type of parent who hovers over their kids – and you happen to be mine." Sighing, Aria got up from the floor and moved away from the door. She dusted off her bottom and crossed her arms waiting for him to talk.

"This isn't just for Mike," her uncle said, reading all the thoughts swirling in her head. "This is for you too."

Aria shook her head and tried not to snap back at the man she loved. That was untrue. Mike was their main priority. And as much as she loved her brother and would do almost anything for him, she hated to do this. She didn't want to see the reminder of the new happy couple being 'happy'. She destroyed her parents relationship twice. Why stick the knife further?

"Aria," he sighed when she wouldn't acknowledge him. "its fine."

"We both know it's not," he stated seeing right through shaky voice and insecurity was showing more than she knew and Greg was good at observing her.

"There's nothing to say," she shrugged again trying to make him go away, "I'm fine with it. I'll go talk to Mike."

"I think there is a ton more to go over before you talk to your brother," he rebutted. "Would you sit?" he asked politely, nodding over to the spot next to him on her bed. Sighing, she tiredly walked from the middle of the room and took a seat at the edge of her bed. The conversation got started quickly turning out to be like a blur. Everything she thought he was going to say turned out differently, and afterward she actually felt better. Her heart wasn't in so much pain as it was before and instead of anger and guilt, she felt okay. He loved her, and her uncle said that repeatedly. He had her best interests in mind and he thought spending some time together, even over something as huge and complicated as her father's wedding, was a way to do that. Her uncle Greg never wanted this for her or her brother and he knew it was a lot for her to handle – he could understand her like that. It had already been so much responsibility on her and taking care of the family that he knew it was even worse; he was in her shoes at one time.

Kissing her head after they were done talking, Greg stood up and left the room. Aria was a strong girl, just like her mother and him. She would do just fine. Their lives, Greg and Aria, were so similar that he wished more for her. His life consisted of worrying and taking care of everyone in the past – he was such a fixer in his teenage years that it took up a lot of his life and unfortunately that was passed down to her too. Carefully watching Aria walk into Mike's room when he disappeared from the hallway, Greg smiled. Yes, she may be a fixer, but she was also more than that. She was more than he could be and that was brave.

* * *

Aria walked into Mike's room, knocking on the door before she entered. "Its okay if you want to go you know," she settled on saying as she sat down on his bed.

"Aria," he groaned, taking out his headphones to listen to his sister.

"I'm going," she said ignoring his warning call.

"Why?" he wondered, swinging his chair to face her.

"Because its…its what I should do," she claimed, trying to find meaning in her words as she said them.

"Aren't you angry with dad? Upset?" he asked puzzled.

"Of course I am," she admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact that I'm attending his wedding. Are you with me?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I don't know if I can watch him get remarried."

"We can stare at each other instead," she said completely agreeing. "You and I will both be up on that alter with them, so instead of watching them kiss and say their vows, we try and ignore it and do the whole silent communication thing with each other."

"Yea?" he asked, shaping up about it.

"Yea," she smiled back, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders. Even though it was a lame idea, and might not work, it gave them hope that it could. For a moment there, Aria felt like everything was okay. Maybe it would turn out all right for once.

Shagging a hand trough mike's hair, she left his room and went back to her own. Jumping on the bed, she laid back and huffed. What a day…

* * *

"Wow," Hanna claimed when Aria stood on the platform at the fitting place. Her dad called that night asking if they got their invitations and it was okay for them to be part of their wedding. Aria knew that her dad had already spoken to her mom about it but she agreed anyways. The next day after school she was supposed to go to a fitting for her dress. And as much she hated to wear something that someone else picked out for her, she went. She took Hanna with her after school to see how ugly the dresses were going to be.

The seamstress tugged at Aria's dress, trying to make it tighter to her body as they stood there. "What about this?" Aria asked the woman after she finished pinning some alterations. "That supposed to be like that – no higher," the woman replied in broken English. Intrigued and a bit uncomfortable, Aria looked back at herself in the mirror and wished it would be fixed. The dress that Opal picked out for her winter wedding was a red spaghetti strap floor length bridesmaid dress with a V-neckline empire pleated bodice and ties around back. It was really pretty, Aria had to admit, but it was also really revealing. She felt like her boobs were on display for the wedding and she didn't like it.

"I wish she had bad taste," Hanna sighed to Aria when they left the place. "The dress looked amazing on you."

"Han, my boobs were practically popping out," Aria claimed, ignoring the compliment as they walked.

"Its Opal, what did you expect?" Aria gave a sigh and knew she was right. Opal was a revealing type of person. "Honestly, it looked great. How are you going to do your hair?"

"I don't know," Aria sighed, not feeling good about this again. After talking to Mike last night, she felt a lot better and told her mother she would go. Things were cleared up and she had positivity, but now, after trying on the dress and staring at herself for the longest time, it all felt wrong again.

"I'll do your hair if you want," Hanna claimed. "That way I can see you before you go."

"You don't have to," Aria said still glum about the whole thing.

"It will be fun," she said slinging her arm around her friend's shoulder to try and cheer her up. Trying to put on a happy face, Aria agreed and went out to dinner with Hanna.

* * *

"So how was it?" Greg asked his niece when she got home and settled into her room for the night.

"Fun," she said sarcastically.

"Looked that good huh?" he wondered as he stood in her doorway with her arms crossed. She had been sitting at her desk doing homework for a while and no one wanted to bother her, yet they also wanted to hear about the fitting. "Did you take Hanna?"

Aria nodded.

"And what did she think?"

"That it looked nice," Aria grumbled. Throwing her pencil down, Aria crossed her arms. "I just…don't feel good about this whole thing anymore. I don't want to go."

"Your mom got you out of the bachelorette party and the rehearsal dinner party. I think the least you could do is show up for the actual wedding," he said gently.

"I know," she sighed.

"Have you talked to Jason about this?" Greg wondered. Shaking her head, she glanced at her homework. They had each been so busy again, and haven't talked much; she didn't want to damper the mood with her self-pity. "Then it's probably a good thing that he's here waiting downstairs huh?"

Surprised, Aria gazed at him to see if he was joking and then got up from her chair to go downstairs. "Hey," she said when he came into view. He was talking with Andrea and playing with Jack at the same time. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to visit," he shrugged, analyzing her.

"Come on Jack, lets go play with your cars in the family room," her uncle said guiding Jack away from them.

"I would go somewhere else…" Andrea blushed, but she couldn't. The whole bed rest concept was more just like stay off your feet, so most of her time was spent at the kitchen table or the sofa.

"Its okay, come on." Taking Jason's hand, Aria quickly heard him say goodbye to her family, and walked outside to the back porch swing.

"You alright?" he asked her when they sat down.

"Yea of course. What are you doing here?"

"I had some time on my hands," he answered. "I thought I would stop by since we haven't seen each other much." Aria agreed to that. Things picked up again in their schedules with school and work now, but something else was still off.

"Mike came into the center the other day," he said leading the conversation.

"Really?" she asked, curious to why he would stop there.

"He told my buddy he wanted to talk and used it as a therapy session I guess."

"Oh," she claimed, unsure what to say. Mike had still been going to therapy but I guess he wanted to have another one on one somewhere else too.

"Aria, were you going to tell me about your father's wedding?" Jason finally bluntly asked. He was unsure how to lead into the subject without feeling like he was prying. It was the truth that Mike had come into the center, but it wasn't to talk to a buddy, but to Jason.

"Yea," she said now putting together Mike went to go see him. "There is no friend of yours is there?"

Jason shook his head. Since that time Mike had come over to Jason's and collapsed on his couch, he somehow bonded with him. From time to time, Mike would come to Jason with little things or just to talk and Aria thought that it was good that they could have that kind of relationship, but in this case, it wasn't the greatest.

Inhaling a deep breath, Aria scrubbed her face with her hands. "I got the invitation in the mail the other day, and I went for a dress fitting this afternoon with Hanna."

"And you decided to go," he claimed. He figured that since Mike was going, she was too. "I'm a bridesmaid," she confessed, "and Mike is the best man."

"How are you holding up with that?"

She shrugged, unsure what to say. Jason wasn't sure why she was holding back from him, wondering if it was just because it was a touchy subject or there was something more. Either way, it didn't sit right with him. Staring at her for a while with his arm extended over the back of the swing, he rocked them in a slow motion.

Aria sat there for a while, with her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms around them. She couldn't figure out what to say to Jason, or even get herself to look at him. For some reason she didn't like this topic and had a hard time opening up about this. But he sat there patiently, rocking them back and forth, waiting for her to say something.

"I thought that I could do this," she spoke softly. "I thought I could be strong for Mike and watch my dad get married but I don't think I can." Her eyes teared up and Jason felt bad. Bringing her close, he tucked her body next to his and kissed her head. "Hanna said it's just a rough patch. That I'm having a hard time dealing with it all because its happening so fast."

"Is that what you think?" Jason asked.

"I don't know what to think," she shrugged. Lost she sat there with him and drowned herself in her thoughts.

* * *

Jason carried her up to her room after it started getting late. They sat there swinging for a while, even after she fell asleep. The motion was calming to Jason and it helped him think. Time with Aria wasn't always well spent. Many times they were pulled together when problems arouse in their life and other times it was for events like their anniversary. He wished that they could just have more days – regular days – together but he was fooling himself. This was Rosewood – the place for gossip, drama, and affairs apparently. Laying her down gently, he wrapped a blanket around her and kissed her forehead softly. He wished he could take away her pain and heartache. She wasn't one to deserve it, she should have to be a tortured soul like him. Moving away from her, he peered at her sleeping form one last time before going downstairs.

"She's asleep?" Andrea wondered when he came back down.

"Yea," he claimed tiredly.

"She's had a rough few days," the woman sighed.

"Why didn't she tell me?" he asked her. He was hoping he could find an answer underneath Aria's actions and help her solve her problems, but he couldn't do it alone.

"I don't know," Andrea shrugged. "For as long as I've known Aria, she's a very closed person. And she's a fixer. When it comes to people who like to fix things, she keeps her problems to herself."

Jason agreed with that, but still wished he could do something to help her.

"She's allowed to bring a guest you know," Andrea told him. "I'm sure she's thinks you don't want to go or get sucked into her problems, but I think it would help her and Mike."

He thought about it, concluding that Aria's aunt was right. It sounded just like to not ask him because she thought he should be spared of her problems and drama. It was part of the fixer ways. "When's the wedding again?"

"December 2nd," Andrea smiled, knowing he was thinking of taking some kind of action.

"Be patient with her Jason," Greg said coming into the room with them now. "She's all over the place with this situation."

Nodding, he told the two to have a goodnight and left the house. He was going to take care of her. And he was going to help her too. Jason was going to go to that wedding as Aria's guest whether she liked it or not. Her problems were now his and he was going to do anything he could to make them better.

**_A/N: What'd y'all think? More drama and interesting events coming up!_**


	38. Chapter 38

**_A/N: Over 100 reviews! Yay! Thank you all so much for getting me here!_**

Aria stood in her floor length red dress looking out her bedroom window. Time seemed to fly by and now it was her dad's wedding day. Her Uncle Greg and Aunt Andrea decided to stay the few extra days to see her and Mike all dressed up, and December seemed to hit in full force. Snow had fallen on the ground, making large piles and made a slush made its own appearance too, covering the streets and curbsides.

"You look amazing Aria," Hanna stated in her company. Like she volunteered for, Hanna had come over to do Aria's hair. She set the dark brown locks into curls and gathered it to one side in a cute low pony. It was very Aria and extremely pretty.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she groaned, turning back to her friend. The wedding was just hours away.

"Breathe," Hanna instructed, taking her friends shoulders. "You can do this Aria. It's just a wedding, don't think of it as your dads."

Aria bit her lip and nodded. It was a good thing Hanna was here because she knew how to handle this. Even though she destroyed the wedding day of her own dad's (because of 'A') she still had to experience it all. The day set Aria on edge but Hanna calmed her down every single time.

"Can I come in?" Mike asked through the door. Chuckling, Aria went to go and open her bedroom up for her brother.

"We match," he claimed showing his red silky bowtie he had on. The girls broke out into smiles, seeing the tacky thing. It did not look good on Mike. He went back to being a little 10-year-old boy.

"Oh, here," Aria said grabbing his wedding corsage from her desk. Byron had dropped it off earlier this morning, telling both Mike and Aria to put one on before they got there. It was a red carnation, matching their wedding attire color perfectly.

"You look handsome," Aria told her brother with a smile as she pinned it to his jacket coat.

"Thanks," he murmured while watching her, "you look pretty awesome too." Chuckling at his words, she stepped back and made sure it looked good.

"So when do we leave?" Mike asked.

"As soon as the both of you step downstairs," Ella smiled coming down to their room. "Oh, you two look cute." There was a tease in her voice, as she enjoyed seeing her kids do this for her. Glancing at Aria's dress she zoomed in at her chest area and gave an iffy look. "Aria…"

"I know, the seamstress wouldn't fix it," she grumbled to her mom as they walked downstairs with Hanna in tow.

"Wow, look at you guys," Andrea exclaimed when they walked down the stairs. Jack was going crazy over them, finally settling for being held in Hanna's arms while they all talked amongst each other.

"Perfect timing," Greg said greeting the person at the back door. Jason stepped in the house modeling a suit and skinny tie making him appear like he came out of a fashion magazine.

"Hey," he smiled to Aria when he caught her eye.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered confused, glancing at his attire too.

"He's taking you to the wedding," Andrea answered for them when Jason went shifty. Dressing up wasn't really his thing, and to make such a bold move on Aria's behalf, he hoped that it was the right thing to do.

"We all figured since you wouldn't bother asking him, we would do it for you," Mike added. Still stunned, Aria was unsure what to say. Her family had done this for her? But when? He was out of town for the time being…did he come home just for her?

"Well? Tell him he looks nice and get going," Hanna spoke. The statement broke tension and they all chuckled.

"Ready?" Aria asked both her guys, showing her sign of approval. Relieved, Jason relaxed his shoulders and held out his arm for Aria to take. Smiling up at him, she held him close as they left the house.

"They didn't pressure you into this did they?" Aria asked after Mike stuck his ear buds in his ears for the long drive to the chapel.

"No why would they?" he asked her, taking his eyes away from the road.

"Because I know how they can get," she replied with a shrug.

"Aria, I wanted to do this for you. But I want to make sure I'm not stepping over some invisible line here. Is it okay that I'm here? Do you want me to be here with you?"

"Of course I do," she said shocked he would ask a thing. With each of them letting out a deep breath, they grabbed hands. "You look gorgeous," he told her, glancing to her quickly.

Blushing, she grumbled out a comment about how handsome he looked and they got on with their day. Silence and cautious boundaries flew out the window and it was like any other day with each other. They laughed and talked. Jason told her all about his boring business trip and she told funny stories about her days and Jack. When they pulled up to the chapel, Aria and Mike had to go to the back. Kissing Jason quickly while hearing some disgusted comment from Mike, they parted ways and had the day begin.

"You both look great," their father said when they lined up for the precession.

"You too," she replied, trying to muster up happiness for her father and Opal. Opal's dress was nice…it was a little revealing for Aria's taste and she could hear Hanna mock the woman in her head, but Opal was nice. She was a little childish and loud, but she was never mean to her and Mike, yet at least.

Music began paying and all five bridesmaids, including Aria, walked down the aisle; the groomsmen escorted them, Aria luckily getting her brother to walk her down even though it was out of order. When they stood, waiting for the bride to enter the room, Aria took in a deep breath. She glanced to Jason and then her brother. _This was it_, she said in her head. The doors opened and there showed Opal. Her father smiled at the woman like she was the light to the day and soon the distance was closed between them.

All the way through the ceremony, Aria was holding onto Mike's stare. Like she promised him, they wouldn't have to stand there and watch their father kiss another woman. Instead, they kept life entertaining and calm. A few times Mike did this cross-eye thing for the camera, which made Aria hold in a laugh and then at one point Aria did it back. They missed their dad kiss his bride and when they marched back when it was all over, they laughed together.

"What were you guys doing?" Jason asked as he watched them all through the wedding. Both Montgomerys cracked up again and explained the whole game to Jason. "Aria cracked first so she has to buy me coffee."

"No one said anything about getting a reward if they were winners," Aria protested.

"It was a mental thing," Mike claimed, laughing along the way back to the car.

"Guys, the party bus is over here," Bryon exclaimed, catching up with his kids. "Jason…oh hi," Mr. Montgomery said surprised to see him here.

"Hey," Jason acknowledged.

"We are actually going to ride with Jason back to the reception," Aria said carefully, "but we will be right behind you."

"Mike…did you want to come?" Byron unhappily accepted that his daughter didn't want to go but chose to ignore that her comment included both her and Mike.

"I'm cool with Jason and Aria," Mike supplied. Trying not to pull a face, Byron kept his hands in his pockets and nodded. He walked away silently, leaving an awkward wake in his trail.

"Come on," Jason said breaking the looks Mike and Aria were giving their dad as he left them. The three of them got into the car, blasting songs they all liked to listen to.

* * *

The rest of the time at the wedding was fairly calm – well, mostly. Opal was still loud and obnoxious as usual, saying hello to her guests and announcing she was now a Montgomery (which made both kids sick). She tossed the bouquet, had her husband get her garter, and listened when her maid of honor who was her best friend gave a speech. Mike also gave a speech, one that Aria helped him with. He went through it perfectly, being smooth and understanding to his dad the groom.

"I'm stealing you away," Jason claimed as Aria sat there at her assigned table listening to some bridesmaid of Opal's talk.

"Thank you," she breathed, relieved she was away from the girl Trixie. She would not stop talking and Aria couldn't get a comment in to tell her goodbye. Taking her to the dance floor, Jason swayed with Aria to some slow song neither of them knew.

"Thank you for being here tonight," Aria said glancing up to Jason.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he replied, bending down and kissing her.

The night ended on a good note. After a few more dances between the couple, Mike dragged them into a photo booth their dad had rented for his special day. They took numerous pictures in there, each getting at least two or three different strips of all of them.

"Aria," her father called after her when the decided to leave the wedding. Swallowing hard, Aria spun back to see her father. "Thank you for coming tonight."

"Of course," she replied putting on a smile.

"Mike wouldn't have come without you," he acknowledged.

Aria was unsure of what her father wanted. Did he want her to admit that she knew that? That she did this for Mike and not for him?

"Have a goodnight sweetheart," he told his daughter with a pat on her shoulder.

"You too dad," she answered, turning back around and going to Jason's car.

"Here," he said helping her pick up her dress while trying to keep his jacket around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she breathed out, getting in the car. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Mike already asleep with his headphones in his ears.

* * *

"So you had fun?" Hanna wondered as they all met up at her house the day after.

"Yea, it wasn't too bad," she admitted, sipping her coffee.

"I think your just saying that because Jason was there," Spencer teased. Aria blushed and made them move onto a different topic.

"So I think I figured out something," Emily stated, taking out her laptop. She opened her laptop holding all of the evidence and 'A' texts on a document.

"Wow, did you compile all of that?" Aria wondered.

"Yea, and it took forever," Emily replied. Showing them how strange the 'A' texts were from a whole perspective, she gathered that two different people would have to be sending them. It made things fall into place after that. A few 'A' texts used the word 'brother' when talking about Jason, but then again some didn't. Some were also warnings instead of harsh threats. It was like one person was playing offense and the other defense. Alongside that, one was a lot scarier than the other.

"So if we are dealing with two 'A's…" Emily suggested.

"We are in a hell of a lot more trouble," Spencer concluded. The girls went over everything from the past few months, making sure they had everything noted in that file Emily created. Their assumptions seemed right. There had to be two 'A's. The personalities were so different at times – it was either that or 'A' was bipolar.

"So how was the wedding really?" Spencer wondered as Aria walked back with her to her house.

"It was good…I mean it was okay. It was my dad's wedding, I don't know what else to say about it."

"I heard your dress was pretty."

"Yea, pretty revealing," Aria spoke up. "I swear I pulled it up every 20 seconds. Finally Jason just gave me his jacket."

"Did Mike have fun?" Spencer pried.

"I think he did," Aria answered glancing to the ground. "He seemed to be glad he went."

"are you?"

"I guess," Aria shrugged, "I mean, I don't think I would have regret going if Mike still went, but it was fun to get out. There were parts of the wedding that were worth it – that I had fun at, but other times… I think I could have spared myself from watching my dad suck off Opal's face."

"Yea ew," Spencer agreed.

"Spence, what are we going to do about 'A'?" Aria wondered quietly passing the house down from Jason's.

"I have no clue. Just the fact that their could be more than one stalker against us makes my body shiver," Spencer stated to Aria, rubbing a hand up and down her arm for emphasis.

"Do you think there always was?"

"There could have been," Spencer shrugged, "it kind of makes sense. We wondered how 'A' could do such things that a normal person couldn't get done without excessive planning and exact timing. Two places at one time seems perfect to me."

"As long as we don't let 'A' know we are too close to this then we should be in the clear," Spencer stated again.

"Which is going to be hard to do considering 'A' knows everything about us," Aria added.

"We have the flash drives," Spencer justified. After pulling together all their resources, the girls went out buying a bunch of USB drives to copy the document onto. 'A' couldn't take all of them without them knowing right?

"I just hope this works," Aria stated as the Hastings's house came into sight.

Stopping in front of the house Aria quickly hit her friend. "Spencer…"

"What?" she asked confused to what Aria was looking at. Following her gaze both girls noticed the curtain move in the house. Freaking out Spencer grabbed her friend for comfort. No one was supposed to be home. Her mom was out on some business trip, her dad was at the sports club and her sister was in Georgia.

"Aria…" Spencer feared, gripping onto her friends arm tightly. Backing away from the house, the two girls held onto each other while an eye on the window.

"Ah!" they both screamed when they ran into something behind them. Realizing it was Jason, the two of them calmed down. Aria had on her rapidly beating heart taking in deep breaths, while Spencer was practically collapsed against Aria relieved it wasn't 'A'.

"Everything okay?" he wondered curious to why they were freaking out.

"Yea we just thought you were…"

Aria nudged Spencer and she immediately caught her accident. "I mean we were just…I…uhh…"

Apparently Spencer's brain was still catching up to her so Aria had to take the lead. "We were just freaked out."

"Right," he said not believing his girlfriend for a minute.

"I'm sleeping at your place tonight," Spencer muttered to her friend still holding onto her. Aria tried to give a smile while Jason was watching them with a careful eye.

"So what are you doing out here Jason?" Spencer said regaining her old self-back.

"I was out here working on the yard. You guys passed me up a while ago," he stated oddly.

Raising an eyebrow at each other, they silently wondered if he heard any of their 'A' talk.

"Oh we didn't see you there," she said.

"Obviously," Aria replied rolling her eyes. Giving her a nudge, Spencer shot her a look. "So how's the yard coming along?"

"Good, almost done," Jason answered, still staring at the two. He knew something was going on again. The stack of questions was out from the closet rising again.

"Well, we are going to go back to Aria's house," Spencer announced, leading Aria by the arm.

"Don't you need your stuff Spencer?" Jason wondered as they went to pass him.

"I'm…going to borrow some of Aria's," Spencer lied. "I'm too lazy to get them."

Ready to hit her friend, Aria tried not to pull a face. Spencer was being a horrible liar right now. What was with her?

Glancing to Jason, Aria watched as he was staring at the two of them.

"Yea, we are going to go," Aria announced. Giving a smile to Jason, she walked along with Spencer, arm in arm. "Is he still looking?" Spencer wondered. Peering over her shoulder, Aria quickly looked back in front of her. "Yup." Jason was still standing there in the middle of the sidewalk with a puzzled face watching them walk away.

"Bad bad bad," Spencer repeated, pacing Aria's floor when they got up to her room.

"What kind of lying was that?" Aria asked her friend when she shut the door.

"I don't know," Spencer groaned plopping herself on Aria's bed, "I just froze. I was totally thrown off guard with 'A' in my house and then Jason was there. I couldn't seem to find a filter."

Aria sighed and leaned back against her desk.

"He totally knew we were lying," Spencer continued to groan.

"Don't remind me," Aria sighed.

"Why didn't you say something to him?" Spencer asked getting up to look at Aria.

"What was I supposed to say? I can't lie to him, he sees right through it – its part of the perks to being Jason DiLaurentis and my boyfriend!"

"Ugh," Spencer sighed.

"He's your brother, I thought you could lie better," Aria mumbled.

"Trust me, Jason isn't the only one who can tell when you are lying. I literally have to prepare out a whole statement before lying to him. He's like a freaking lie detector," she snapped. Both of them heaved a sigh again, unsure what to do.

"I don't want to borrow your clothes," Spencer groaned after a few minutes of silence.

Jokingly offended, Aria grabbed the nearest soft thing she could find and threw it at Spencer.

* * *

The girls avoided Jason for a while, putting most of their time and effort into solving who 'A' was instead. They felt like they were on the brink of a breakthrough and needed to figure out the puzzle instead. It was easy for Spencer and the other two friends considering they didn't usually see Jason as much as Aria did. Even though they said hi to him at school or around Rosewood when he would randomly appear, they never had to deal with him more than that. Aria did. She was having the hardest time playing doge 'em with him, considering he wasn't actually busy this week. She felt horrible always saying that she had work or was going out with the girls; sometimes she even blamed it on spending some time with her family. It made Jason's curiosity grow and Aria's worry skyrocket.

"Aria," Jason said immediately getting up from her porch swing when he saw her.

"Oh hey…" she said quickly kissing him and then moving to go inside.

"Wait," he called trying to catch her. Thinking he had questions about what was going on and trying to trap her, she walked inside instead and tried to invite him in instead.

"Aria," Ella said in a very gentle tone. Snapping her head over to look at her, Aria noticed how red her mother's eyes looked. "What's going on?" Aria wondered when she saw no one but her mom and Uncle sitting there looking somber. Both of them were looking at Jason who was conveying a message back to them about something.

"What is it?" Aria wondered again.

"Your friend…Holden," Ella started. Aria's heart quickly picked up its pace and she felt her palms go sweaty. "What about him?" Numerous scenarios went through her head and reevaluating the secrets they told each other. Did Holden tell them about her and Mr. Fitz? Was her mom upset about that? Is that why her uncle wouldn't look at her and was quiet? Maybe Mrs. Strauss found about his fighting. Was he in trouble? Was she getting blamed for knowing?

"Sweetie," Ella said coming over to her. "Holden passed away."

The words took Aria's breath away and she suddenly felt dizzy. The floor seemed to escape from her feet and her stomach churned. As she staggered back, Jason caught her by the arms and situated her back on her feet.

Aria wanted to ask how, when, what, where, why, wh-…Things began feeling numb and her head began getting hazy.

"Wh-…Ho-…." Words couldn't seem to form and her breath was escaping from her lungs quicker than she wanted.

"Apparently he was doing some kind of martial arts without his parents knowing and his heart ended up giving out. He was taken to the hospital and…" Ella stopped, unsure of what to say.

"He had pills," Aria choked out with tears.

Ella twisted her hands hating how difficult this was for her daughter, "they must not have been able to overcome the strain he was putting on his body and heart. He was doing some dangerous fighting. It couldn't save anyone."

_It saved me,_ Aria thought in her head. Heaving now, Aria struggled out of Jason grasp and struggled to think for herself. No, this wasn't it, it wasn't right.

"Honey," Ella started. Her voice reminded Aria of saying Holden was dead. Holden…dead. Holden – her friend, her best friend, her savior, her confident – was dead. Dead. The word repeated in Aria's head and she couldn't handle it.

"Aria!" her mother yelled for her when she ran upstairs. Slamming her bedroom door shut, Aria collapsed to the floor and sobbed. Her phone gave a bing, which made her think of Holden. Maybe it wasn't true, maybe he texted her. Flipping it open, she tried to clear her blurry eyes and look at the text.

**He should have been more familiar with what his real pills looked like. Who knows what kind of person could have tampered with them ;) **

**This is my game bitch and its not over until I say it is so back off – A**

Aria gaped at the text unable to process it. 'A' did this – 'A' tampered with Holden's pills and got him killed. 'A' made her lose her best friend; 'A' made it her fault.

Chucking her phone across the room, Aria bawled with tears unable to contain herself and the pain she felt. This was on her – this was her fault Holden was dead. Because of Aria, because she had dug so far into who was 'A' Holden was killed…KILLED.

"Aria? Aria," her mother called to her. Aria could barely hear the calls as she cried. Her body curled itself into a bawl rocking back and forth. Why? How? 'A' had gone so far as to kill her friend. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Aria pushed herself up and flung the door open, running for the bathroom. She dove past her mom, Jason, and uncle who were all standing near the door and heaved her lunch into the toilet.

"Sweetie," Ella said coming to comfort her.

"No," Aria claimed making them all stay back. She wiped her mouth, with tearstains still running down her eyes. She couldn't take this hurt. It throbbed – it throbbed so bad. There was so much guilt, so much pain in her heart. Her friend was dead. Another one. Collapsing on the floor, Aria covered her face with her eyes and cried some more. She couldn't do this anymore, she couldn't live like this. 'A' was taking everything away. She was killing Aria. She killing Holden – no. No, 'A' killed Holden. Holden was dead. He was such an innocent bystander, being just a normal friend for Aria. No, this wasn't right. This wasn't fair.

Arms of her mother circled her small frame and Aria continued to sob. She gasped and made all sorts of hideous noises for her friend's death. She couldn't do this, she couldn't take this.

Her mom's warmth was encompassing her. It was making her warm, making her feel safe. That wasn't right either. A person like Aria didn't deserve this. She wasn't worthy of comfort and sympathy. She killed her best friend. She killed Holden. Shifting and shoving her mom away from her, Ella ended up pulling away and Aria moved back. She couldn't get up; she wouldn't be able to run back to her room, but she could stay there and cry. She needed to be alone; she needed everyone to go away.

"Aria," her mother tried again, worried she was going to hyperventilate and pass out.

"No," Aria panted. "No, no, no."

"Ella," Greg said worried about the same thing. Aria was starting to sway, now showing the dizziness she felt.

"Aria," her mother called again, firmer this time.

"No," Aria responded, ignoring everyone around her calling her name and wanting something from her. She needed this to stop – for everything to stop. Ignoring the tingling feeling she was getting all over and the spots that were starting to appear in her vision, she gave one more "no" before passing out into the black darkness.

The three adults all quickly lunged for Aria after she collapsed. Ella was so panicked and unsure what to do; she felt helpless so she looked up to her older brother for guidance. Jason was already coming near her to scoop Aria into his arms and Greg was preparing a cold compress. "Put her in her room," he instructed to Jason. Ella knew Aria was going to take Holden's death horribly. The two of them had recently got close again and it hurt Ella to tell her. Holden was such a sweet kid. He was good to her daughter too, always making her laugh and smile.

After hearing the news from the broken parents, Ella saw Jason at their doorstep soon after. He had a solemn looking face on silently asking Ella wondering if Aria knew. When Ella told Jason that she had no clue – that she had to break the news to her today when she got home – Jason volunteered to do it. He thought he could handle it and be strong for her. Ella had obviously been crying and he didn't want Aria to get nervous by what was going on. So Ella let him do it. He waited for her out on the back porch while Ella paced inside the house and Greg sat there silently. They were waiting to hear the tears and cries of pain, but instead, she came in the house. Aria glanced at all of them and asked questions; Ella had to be the one to break it to her again. And she did.

Aria's reaction was not what Ella was expecting. It switched back from being confused, to hurt, to demanding answers. It was so unlike Ali's were Aria just cried and eventually got over it. This time, for Holden, it was so much deeper. When she ran, Ella was bewildered on what to do. Space was probably the reasonable and right choice to go with, but as a mother, her nurturing instincts over ruled her and she went upstairs to make sure her daughter was okay.

Aria never had a lock on her door, but it was a respectful thing to always wait for her to open the door. As Ella followed that guideline, she shifted terribly. Aria's cries were so loud and painful it ached all of their hearts. Beneath all the worry Ella felt, she had to admit she was relieved that she sent Mike out and Greg had his family go home. With how upset Aria was being it would have affected all of them.

The adults were startled when Aria came shoving past them, running to the bathroom. And when she threw up Ella's concern spiked. Aria pushed them away like she didn't want the comfort, like she was trying to handle it on her own, but she couldn't. She slid down to the floor and cried some more and Ella took that chance to hold her little girl. Her arms wrapped around the teenager and tried to reel in some of heartache she was going through. It took maybe a minute before Aria started pushing her away again, skidding closer to the tub rocking herself. Finally she passed out, and everyone was left where they were now. Ella was helpless, Greg was concerned, and Jason was unable to think how he felt. Watching Aria torment herself gave a pain ripping through his chest.

Staying with her after she passed out, he kissed her head, rubbed her hair and cuddled with her gently. He kept a blanket wrapped around the two of them and a cold washcloth over her forehead as they laid in her bed.

"We came as soon as we heard," Spencer said entering Aria's room with the other friends in tow. This was another reason Jason despised small towns. It had only been a few hours since Aria passed out and they knew about Holden's death now too.

"How is she?" Emily wondered.

"She passed out a little while ago," Jason said worriedly. "She's taking it hard."

"What happened here?" Spencer asked bending down to the crushed phone. Analyzing the scene, Spencer saw a mark on the wall. Aria must have chucked her phone against the wall and it smashed into pieces. Concerned on why that happened, Spencer stood up again and came up with the only solution possible – 'A'.

"Please tell me your not thinking what I am," Hanna whispered to Spencer as she held the bits and pieces of Aria's phone in her hand. Nodding, Spencer confirmed the truth. 'A' had something to do with this.

"Do you think she'll be out for the rest of the night?" Emily wondered coming to sit on the bed. The situation reminded her so much of Maya. She had felt so much grief and agony; she knew what Aria was feeling.

"I don't know, probably. She exhausted herself," Jason sighed looking down at the sleeping girl. Her three friends stuck around the Montgomery place a while longer before deciding it was time to go. School was tomorrow and it was getting late. Telling Mrs. Montgomery they would be by after school to check on Aria and with her make up work, the left.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Hanna asked when they left.

"I don't know," Spencer sighed, "but we need to get this to Caleb and see if he can put it back together."

"And if he sees a message from 'A'?'" Emily asked concerned.

"Then we have some major explaining to do," Spencer stated, finding this to be their last resort.

* * *

Jason stayed beside Aria for as long as he could. Once the sun rose, he knew he had to start going so he could get to work. He would have skipped the days, hell even the whole week for her, but he had finally got a meeting with this kid he'd been trying to talk to for weeks and it was really important that he was there for it. It took a lot of convincing to get up and away from Aria's sleeping form, Greg actually being the one to make sure he was up. The elder man came into the room, whispering it was almost 5am and didn't know if her needed to be somewhere. Once Greg saw that Jason did indeed had to be somewhere, he kicked him out from Aria's room, saying she would be fine and that he and Ella were here to take care of her if anything happened.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told the man as he walked out from Aria's room.

"I know you will," Greg replied guiding them downstairs.

"If she wakes up…"

"I know, I'll call you and tell her you were here."

Jason felt like a horrible person for leaving Aria.

"She probably won't want to see or talk to anyone anyways. Go. She'll be okay," Greg added seeing his hesitance.

Nodding, Jason walked out of the doorway of the Montgomery house and left for his own place.

* * *

Aria woke up around 7am, with a tight face and chest. She almost felt like she had been run over by a truck, when she realized what had happened. It rushed back to her like water escaping a dam. It was one thing after another piling up on her – drowning her. Holden…dead…'A' having something to do with it…crying…throwing up…passing out. Burying her face in her pillows, she felt tears weld up in her eyes again and she cried. Guilt laid on her shoulders with a heavy presence and she wished it would go away.

"Aria?" someone asked. Hearing the footsteps get louder, she heard her door creak open further. A figure sat on the bed, dipping the mattress from the heavy weight. Soon after that, a warm hand appeared on her back and Aria knew instantly it was her uncle.

He rubbed her back in large circular motions while she cried again. She couldn't seem to stop her sadness and emotions that came out of her. Showing weakness and crying was not her thing, yet it was like her body and mind couldn't match up enough to care. She was a limp mess, crying her eyes out like a little kid.

"Do you remember what happened?" Greg asked her when he thought she was starting to calm down. Watching the pillow move in an up and down motion, he figured she was nodding. "Please go away," she croaked out.

"Aria," he sighed, knowing it wasn't the right thing to do.

"Please," she asked, this time lifting the pillow. She wanted to be alone, she wanted to cry in her own presence and not someone else's too. He knew that yet he didn't want to leave her.

"Go," she teared up again, hiding her face. Unsure of what to do, he got up from her bed and left. He carefully shut the door behind him and stood there for a while wondering if that was the brightest idea.

When Aria heard that he left, she threw the pillow off of her and openly sobbed. Holden was gone now and it made life so…excruciating. Her body was aching and she felt so weak and tired. She felt the pain and heartache, but when she said to herself Holden was gone, he was dead; it was like her mind couldn't register it. It was like it shrugged it off and didn't acknowledge it. Finding that it made things worse, guilt swarmed her again, making every breath she took in be a hard one to exhale.

Emptiness was with her for a while. For the morning Aria was left alone until her mom came up and offered her breakfast. She refused and even though Ella brought it up for her just in case she didn't eat it. Then during the afternoon her uncle came up wondering if she wanted lunch. She didn't and he brought it up anyways. Again, she didn't eat it. Now it was a little before dinner and her friends were over. They were sitting by her bed, as she stayed curled up with her legs in her arms on the mattress. All three of them tried to talk to her, asking her questions about her phone, her day, Jason, Mike, anything really. But she never talked. Instead she let tears drip from her face and blankly stare out in nowhere.

"Come on Emily, you can relate the best to this one," Spencer groaned when they left.

"What am I supposed to say? I know how it feels? That line is so over used and cheesy. It doesn't even touch base to how anyone really feels," she exclaimed angrily.

"We need to help her somehow!" Hanna protested.

"And we're trying," Spencer snapped back.

Jason was coming up the way, hearing the argument. "She's still up?" he wondered.

"Awake but very quiet," Spencer said.

Hanna rolled her eyes and put it simply for Jason. "She's curled up in a ball sitting on her bed staring at air. She won't talk or eat. She just sits there with tears rolling down her cheeks."

"Hanna!" the two friends exclaimed thinking it was inconsiderate to say it like that.

"What?! Someone had to prepare him for the sight!" she defended herself. Jason looked a little taken back with concern written all over her features. "Look," Hanna sighed, trying to sugar coat it some, "she's in shock now. Company hasn't really been what she's needed yet."

Jason nodded, understanding what Hanna was doing. She felt bad and was backtracking on her words he got that. Leaving them, he walked up to the Montgomery home and knocked on the door, being let in by Ella.


	39. Chapter 39

**_A/N: Ahh! Second to last chapter. So sad =( Thanks to all who reviewed. Do it again!_**

For the rest of the weekend and a few days after Aria was barely there. She eventually started eating, but not without dropping a few pounds, (shedding more by the day) and she moved around – from her bedroom window, to the bathroom and shower, back to her room, on her bed, in her desk chair, on the floor. Her uncle Greg had gone home after a couple days of taking care of the two girls needing to get back to his family. Jason had stopped by as much as he could – staying for hours, while also trying to make sure Ella and Mike were doing okay.

It worried Jason how un-Aria his girlfriend was being. For now, she was an empty shell. When he was over there, most of the time she cried but sometimes she'd curl up next to him and just lay there. It concerned him more and more with her silence but then one day she broke it. "I'm tired of feeling empty" was what she said to him. He gave her strong encouraging words after that and reported to Ella that she finally talked.

Soon after then, the day after the next to be exact, Aria got up and dressed for school. It was the randomest thing and surprised her family. She didn't say much and she ate very little, but she went to school nonetheless.

When she got there, Mike hesitantly went his own way saying 'you know where to find me if you need anything.' She walked down the halls and to her locker. Weird stares were being passed around all aimed at her, but she didn't care. She was too focused on everything else. It was weird to think that Holden was no longer there and it was even worse to think that he would no longer pop up and say hello to her or chase her down in the hallway to tell her about when his next tournament was that she should come watch. She was trying to be strong, to stop crying and falling apart but being at school, where Holden once was was to much all too soon.

"Hey," Jason said gently catching her by the shoulders in the hallways. The gossip around the halls that Aria Montgomery spread like wildfire and he was on the hunt to find her. Noticing tears in her eyes he held her close so she could get time to compose herself. . "You can do this," he whispered to her encouragingly.

Feeling her take in some deep breaths, he was glad that she was here. She was getting better and trying to work through her emotions. Maybe soon she would be back to her old self

"Aria?" her friends exclaimed surprised. Quickly coming over to her, Aria wiped her tears from Jason and murmured a quiet thank you. "Thank god," Hanna said pulling her into a hug. Hanna was clearly relieved but Jason noticed Aria still lost. Her eyes were red and empty. It was like she was only half here.

"Hey Han," she said pulling back slightly. Both Spencer and Emily eloped her in hugs then, making Jason feel out of place. "Should we walk you to class?" they offered.

"Its right here," Aria said showing them Mr. Fitz's door. Holden used to be in this class but she tried not to think about it. Hearing the bell rang, she said goodbye to all four of them and went to take her seat.

"Aria," Ezra said surprised. Glancing up at him, she nodded slowly and went back to gazing at her desk.

"Okay, um…" Ezra said clearing his throat. "Now I know for the past few days we've been learning about some of Shakespeare's plays and how he incorporates tragedies into them. And I know they can get boring and pretty dry." Everyone in the class agreed, by either nodding their head or voicing their agreement. "And recently," we lost a classmate of ours. Holden Strauss," he announced keeping a careful eye on Aria.

Aria tried not to flinch when she heard his name, and it took everything in her not to. "He was a friend, classmate, son, and probably a lot more," Ezra continued. He was hoping that this paper would help her move on. Writing was a skill she was definitely blessed with and maybe he could turn it into an outlet for her. "Who knew Holden? Did you all know who he was?" People raised their hands, and even nodded pointing to his desk. Aria ignored it all. She tried to talk to herself in her head and distract herself from what was going on. Was Ezra trying to rip the shred of sanity and stability she had just achieved after holing herself up in her bedroom for the weekend? "To go along with what we are learning, I'm assigning a paper about Holden. Even if you didn't know him you can write about tragedy or Shakespeare or touch base from something about your lives," Ezra announced to the class.

Swallowing hard, Aria tried as hard as she could to sit there. "This paper doesn't have to be sad or depressing, it just has to be your own. I want to hear from your perspective on what you think is a tragedy or about Holden. There are so many different viewpoints on what he was and a variety of you, I'm sure, knew him in different ways."

This assignment was killing Aria. After Ezra went over the formatting and requirements of the assignment, Aria stood up from her seat, swiftly took her books from her desk and bolted out of the classroom. She walked quickly down the halls before anyone could catch her and tell her to come back. She couldn't be here anymore, she couldn't do it. She wasn't strong enough to handle this yet. The gossiping, her friends, Ezra, this paper. It suffocated her more than she thought it would and she wanted to go back to emptiness.

"Hey," Jason claimed when Aria ran into him as he walked back into the school. His concern was immediate when he saw her ready to burst into tears. Leading her back outside, he steadied her in front of him so he could listen to what was going on.

"I need to go, I have to go," she hiccupped.

"What happened Aria?" Jason asked.

"I-I can't. I can't do this. I can't b-be here."

"Why?" he asked. "You were doing great." She shook her head and let tears run down her cheeks. The paper was too much. She couldn't do it, she couldn't write about her friend.

"I'm going to kill that man!" Hanna exclaimed, bursting through the front doors of the school.

"Hanna?" Jason wondered, with Aria still at arm's length with him.

"Aria," she sighed, wrapping her into a hug.

"What is it?" Jason wondered watching their expressions.

"Mr. Fitz assigned the class a paper about Holden," Emily said quietly. Going mad, Jason's hands balled into fists and he went to march back into the school.

"Jason no. Jason!" Spencer called as she blocked the doors with her body. "Stop. Stop!" she yelled to him. "Look at Aria, look at her," she commanded. Turning to Aria, he saw her leaning over the brick, barely keeping a hold of herself as Hanna tried to comfort her. "She needs you right now," Spencer said strongly. "Do not go inside that school and leave Aria like this."

Deflating, Jason turned back to Aria and took her in his arms. "I got you," he sighed. Glancing to Spencer, he gave a silent thank you. "I'm going to take her home. Can some tell Mike? And possibly get her car?"

"I got it," Emily volunteered. "Give me your keys Aria," she said gently. Digging them from her purse, Aria handed them to Emily.

"I'll get Mike," Hanna said with sympathy for her friend.

"Kill Fitz for me would you?" Jason asked Spencer as he and Aria passed her.

"With pleasure," she muttered back ready to give him an earful.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" Spencer asked stomping into his classroom during passing time. She was fuming at the assignment he heard he gave out. Was he insane?

"Excuse me?" Ezra asked completely startled by her presence.

"That stupid paper you gave out to the class – are you that much of a son of a bitch?

"Hey watch it!" he said trying to act all teacher like. Completely unfazed, Spencer waited with her arms crossed for an explanation. "I thought that it would help Aria move past him."

"Move past him? Are you serious?"

Ezra furrowed his eyebrows.

"Holden Strauss was Aria's best friend. They met when they were infants. You really expect Aria to get over him like that – especially with some stupid paper about him and tragedies?"

"She's an amazing writer. I think that if she tried it could be an outlet for her," he explained.

"You're really that big of an idiot aren't you?" she asked observing him.

Again, he was stupefied at the insults Spencer was giving him. This time, he waited for an explanation.

"Geez Mr. Fitz. Aria has barely kept herself together these past few days. You have no idea how much it took for her to get up and come to school today!" Ezra suddenly felt guilty. "And how your talking all 'writing will hear your soul' and crap. She's hardly talking or eating. Because of your paper…you…ugh!" she said watching her English teacher fall apart.

"What did I do Spencer?" he asked her as she went to leave.

"She had Jason take her home," The Hastings said not trying to get too bitter. "I wouldn't expect her in class tomorrow." On that note, Spencer left his room and went to catch up with her friends.

"Hey," Caleb said catching her in the halls when she went on the search for Toby instead.

"What?" Spencer snapped.

"Get Hanna and Emily and come with me now," he instructed, ignoring her violent anger. His seriousness scared Spencer and she quickly gathered her friends. Meeting Caleb in the empty courtyard outside after the bell rang he pulled out a piece of paper. "This was what Aria's last text message said." It was from 'A'.

Reading it, all three girls went wide-eyed and understood why Aria had been even a bigger mess than a normal person. She was dealing with guilt – and lots of it.

* * *

Jason helped Aria into his car and drove her to the park. Even though it was freezing out and wet with snow, he wanted her to get out and away from four walls.

"Come on," he instructed, going around the passenger side to get her. She followed his lead, not asking very many questions about what they were doing here.

"I miss him," she muttered out when they sat together on the swings. Aria glanced away, thinking again it was her fault.

"Ar," Jason said gently, bringing her swing closer to his. "I may not have know Holden too well, but I don't think he would have wanted this for you."

Aria didn't say anything to his words. No, Holden probably wouldn't have wanted her to be like this, but he didn't want to die either. He didn't know he was taking placebo pills and about to kill himself. He didn't know that 'A' was after Aria and willing to do anything to hurt her. No, Holden probably wished Aria happiness, but she wasn't going to take it. This was her fault and it was going to stay that way.

When the wind started to blow and the snow picked up again, Jason took them back to his house. He cuddled Aria up with a blanket while he made them hot chocolate and curled next to her when he came back. She glanced at the inside of her mug for a while, not taking a sip. "Its all my fault," she whispered. Aria had been talking so soft; it was almost like she was talking to her self. Jason actually had to lean forward to hear her and he was wondering if he heard right.

"I should have stopped him."

Jason's eyebrows furrowed and he reached over to set their cups down on the table. "What is your fault? Stop what?"

"His fighting," Aria said now playing with her hands. "I knew about it Jason. I let him do it…I-"

"Aria," Jason said cutting in to stop her. "Both of us knew about it. If you want to try and blame someone else, blame me too. Don't think you are the only one who had a hand in that secret."

Tears flooding her eyes, she gazed up at her boyfriend, "its all my fault."

"No, its not," he replied stubbornly, bringing her to sit on his lap. "You used to tell me Holden was stubborn and sneaky." Nodding, Aria remembered that. She was trying to tell Jason all about her friend and the traits she picked up from him. Slipping out in the middle of the night was her specialty when she was a friend with Ali – a trick Holden taught her how to do when they were young. "I think that with what I know about him from you, even if you tried to stop him from doing what he loved, he wouldn't have let you. He would have found a way to compete anyways," Jason said.

Aria kept her head against his solid chest and wondered if his words were true. Holden did say something like that to her once. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember that day. They were in the café sharing secrets about each other and he said this quote. It was unique and stuck out to her because it was right – he was right. _"I could die whether I'm doing what I love or I'm at home playing apples to apples with my parents. I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life sitting in front of a TV. Especially when there's a decent chance its gonna be shorter than everyone else's."_

The words came back to her and Aria's eyes opened with a flutter. Her heart was warming to the memories she had with him. Listening to his voice in her head comforted her and she tried not to think about never getting to hear it again.

Maybe Jason was right, maybe she couldn't have even stopped it if she tried. Holden was just as stubborn as her – sometimes more when he had the upper hand in a situation.

"Sometimes what people believe is best for you is not really what's best for you," her head added, remembering some more words from Holden. He said that phrase often, especially when she looked worried after finished a tournament.

Her thoughts were soon looking up until it circled the pills again. She had to remember that it wasn't his decision that got him killed, but 'A'. Messing with his pills is what killed him. They could have worked – they did work – and 'A' switched them because of Aria. How stupid was she to think she could overcome 'A'; to copy a bunch of blackmailed information onto a bunch of separate jump drives and hide them. Like 'A' wouldn't find out or steal them from her and her friends; like 'A' wouldn't do something drastic to get them back or to stop the four of them. They were such fools – Aria was such a fool – and it got her friend killed in the process.

"You don't understand," she said feeling worse about it now. If only Jason knew the truth. He wouldn't be sitting her with her. He would be disgusted.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

Aria struggled with how to tell him everything. This was it; this was the time she was going to tell Jason about 'A'. There was going to be no more running, lying, or skirting from the truth. She was tired and breaking into pieces. He had to know, he just did…

"There's been something going on – something I haven't been telling you," Aria started with a soft murmur. Shifting around, Jason made sure Aria was face to face with him. This was important – extremely, actually. Something Aria wasn't telling him? That was never good. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tried to ease her discomfort by running a hand carefully through her hair.

Aria inhaled deeply, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. How was she supposed to start?

"The first few days after getting back from Iceland–…around the time when Ali's body was found," she said shakily. She shifted a bit, feeling a bit weird about that too since she was sitting in Jason's lap in a somewhat intimate position. "I uh…" she said clearing her throat.

_Don't do it Aria!_ The small voice exclaimed in the back of her head._ Jason will be put in danger! He could be killed! He could end up like Holden!_

"Uh…" she said trying to shake away the incessant voice.

_Just think if Wren had to treat him. Just think if Wren had to pronounce Holden dead. Just think of Jason's grave next to Ali's._

The last phrase in Aria's head made her back away, moving off of Jason's lap and back onto her own spot on the couch. It was eerie to think about, Jason's grave, but then something else was nagging at her. Wren…

"Aria?" Jason asked slowly.

"Wren," she whispered out. She tried to think of everything – how he could fit into the puzzle. Maybe he was 'A' person 1. But who could be 'A' number 2?

"Aria," Jason repeated, putting a hand on her shoulder. Coming back to reality, Aria knew exactly who it was now. "I uh…I have to go," she said getting up and going to find your shoes.

"Woah, wait a minute," he said getting up to follow her. "What was that all about? You had something to tell me."

"I know," she said robotically, "but I think I have to go. I have to -… I just figured something out. I'll be back," she said now grabbing her jacket.

"Where are you going?" he wondered watching her with a careful eye.

"Spencer's," Aria said wrapping her scarf around her.

"Aria," Jason said trying to pull her back into the real world. Just as they were starting to talk she became dazed and he considered her to still be in that same state as she was trying to leave him.

"I will call you later – or stop by," she said looking up in his eyes and kissing him quickly. Backing away, she opened the front door and peered to Spencer's house. 'A' couldn't get her from here to there could she? Shaking her head, she waved to Jason one last time and hiked through the winter season to the Hastings's house.

"Aria?" Spencer asked when she opened the back door to her house.

"I know who 'A' is," she declared when she came inside.

"What?!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Did I just hear that correctly?" Emily wondered as she sat on the living room couch in Spencer's house.

"Hold on," Hanna declared, getting up from her spot on the couch too. "Aria," she said to her friend, taking her by the shoulders. "We know about 'A's last text and we are here for you. You can't beat yourself up about this for the rest of your life."

"It actually helped me out," she said weakly.

"'A's text said something about identifying Holden's pills. If I wasn't in the medical field or had a heart condition myself I wouldn't know what they looked like either…" she said waiting for them all to catch on. "And since Holden had a familiar idea of what his pills looked like, 'A' would have had to replace them with similar looking ones…"

"Oh my god," Emily announced, getting what Aria was saying first. With her jaw dropped, she glanced over to Spencer who was still processing it all.

"No," Spencer said slowly as she was starting to form an idea. "it couldn't have been…"

"Please, please don't tell me we are talking about Wren…" Hanna declared, saying the name the three of them couldn't say.

"I think so," Aria spoke.

"He has access to medical records," Emily claimed, thinking about the missing page from Ali's death report. "And he has access to pills and Spencer's house," she continued. "The hockey stick could have been planted on the property line by Wren and made it look like someone else or Jason," Aria added.

"And the text to make a move on Wren in front of Toby," Emily winced. Hanna raised her eyebrow at that. "He's clever."

"He got the girl," Aria shrugged trying to lessen the hard facts that were flying at Spencer.

"I dated 'A'," She spoke incredulous, "I kissed and dated our blackmailer."

"Yea," Aria said slowly breaking the news.

"How could we not see this you guys?" Hanna asked.

"I don't know," Emily shrugged watching as Spencer came to sit down, "but there are still a few things that don't add up. How did 'A' – Wren," she corrected, "mess with your phone Aria? And what about Mona? How did he get Mona wrapped into all of this? And what about truth day? Wren was only there after you got hurt, not before…"

Aria bit her lip.

"That could be the other 'A'," Hanna suggested. "We did think there were two 'A's after all."

"This is…so messed up," Spencer said still reeling it all in.

"So then the second 'A'? Who is that?"

"That would be me," Mona said with a twisted grin on her face as she walked down from the Hastings' upstairs level.

"Mona?!" Hanna exclaimed in shock. All four of the girls quickly got up and went to back away.

"You shouldn't have figured it out," she tisked to Aria. With Mona walking forward and the girls going backward, they each stood with space in-between them.

"How did you get in here?" Spencer asked swallowing hard.

"Give me some credit," she told Spencer with a bite. "I've been doing this a while."

"Why?" Hanna asked looking broken she lost a friend.

"They took you away from me," Mona snapped at the other girls. "I was your friend first and then they all suddenly come back for Ali and it was like the clique reunited," she said with a sad face to Hanna. "You were so preoccupied with them that you never had time for me anymore."

"But you didn't have to do this," Hanna claimed with her voice raising, "Mona, you ruined my life – you ruined ours!"

"It would have been fine if Aria had just kept her trap shut!" Mona barked back with venom. "If you would have just kept quiet till I could have gotten you alone. We would have convinced you to join – to play with us…"

"What?" Aria asked backing up into the kitchen counter with her friends beside her.

"Stay back," Spencer said pulling out a huge kitchen knife.

"Oh please," Mona said now pulling out a gun from her back. All four of the girls froze, unable to process Mr. Hastings' gun being pointed at them while in a situation where they could die.

"Mona," Hanna said with a lost tone.

"I didn't want it to come to this," she told Hanna before looking at the rest of them. "Aria," she called nodding over to the spot beside her.

"What? No!" Spencer said still trying to hold up her knife.

"Really?" Mona challenged as she clicked the safety off her gun. Shakily, Aria squeezed Spencer's arm and took her first steps toward Mona.

"Aria!" Hanna called in protest.

"You should have just joined us," Mona said as she grabbed Aria's arm and put the gun up to her head. Aria quickly shut her eyes and tried to breath. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening…

"No one should have figured it out. He shouldn't have been watching you walk here!" she protested with anger.

"Who?" Aria cracked out, trying to take Mona's mind off of whatever she was going to do.

"Jason," She sighed. "There have been so many disagreements on how to handle him."

"Handle…him?" Aria asked again, trying not to pay attention to how the cold metal of the barrel of the gun felt against her skin.

"If he wouldn't have watched you walk here this wouldn't have had to happened," Mona snapped again with anger. The gun was pressed harder into Aria' head and she smacked her lips together so she wouldn't cry out. The three friends couldn't do anything but watch. They were helpless and worried for their friend.

"I could have grabbed you, I could have convinced you," she muttered.

"I know Mona," Aria said with tears in her eyes, "I'm sure you could have."

"Spencer?" A voice called after the front door opened.

"Mom?!" Spencer called back in a panic. Mona quickly shifted her and Aria so that when Mrs. Hastings walked into the room she wouldn't be able to do anything. Aria's body was Mona's shield.

"Oh my god," Mrs. Hastings said coming into the situation. While Mona was preoccupied with that, Emily carefully pulled her phone out so that she could possibly dial 911 when she had the chance.

"Mona, put the gun down," Mrs. Hastings said putting the mail down on the floor. Her hands became open and she tried to take a step towards her.

"Don't move," Mona instructed. There was a hint of worry in her voice, like she knew she didn't have full control of the room anymore.

"Just…don't," she repeated. Mrs. Hastings stayed where she was when she saw the gun being pressed into Aria's temple some more.

"What's going on here girls? Did something happen? Did someone do something to you?" Veronica tried to be the peacekeeper to try and calm Mona down enough that maybe she would let go of Aria and put the gun down.

"Oh," Mona cynically laughed, "Please, like someone didn't do something."

Everyone swallowed hard, wondering what she was going on about. "Alison DiLaurentis ruined my life; she was a horrible bitch who destroyed people and things…well everyone except for them," she said pointing over to the girls who looked panicked. Suddenly, a smirk came over Mona's lips and she tilted her head. "Did you know your daughter was being blackmailed right under your nose?"

Mrs. Hastings looked intrigued and glanced to Spencer who was already looking at her helpless. "Sad really," Mona commented.

"Mona, you need to stop this – put the gun down," Veronica instructed calmly.

"The game's not over!" she barked to the woman. Taking the gun off of Aria, she pointed it at Spencer. "Don't make me do something I might learn to regret later."

"Okay, okay," Veronica said stepping back in her place and no longer trying to persuade Moan into something she didn't want to do. Her own daughter's life was at stake now. "Please, just don't do it Mona."

"All I want is Aria," she instructed.

"You can't have her," Emily spoke up, forgetting about the gun.

"Oh really?" she asked like Emily was stupid. Before she could say anything else, guns were all being cocked and little laser lights were all on Aria and Mona.

"Mona Vanderwall, put your hands up where we can see them and drop the gun," the police called. No longer feeling cocky, Mona looked to all of the women in the room. She was scared, Aria could feel it – Uncertainty filled her bones and as she shifted around with Aria, it was unsure of what the teen would do.

"Drop your weapon and let everyone go," the police called to her again.

"They can't do this," Mona said softly. Realizing Aria was right there; she leaned in and murmured in her ear. "You think the game is over? Just wait – once I'm gone it will be so much worse."

"Mona!" Hanna pleaded.

"I'm sorry Hanna," Mona called over the loud police warnings. Letting Aria go, Mona stepped back and dropped her gun. Immediately after that the police came raiding into the house and Mona was arrested. They dropped her to her knees, patting every inch of her to make sure she didn't have any more weapons and then hauled her to the car.

"Oh my god," Spencer breathed; running to hug her mother after it was all over.

"Aria," Emily called while going over to her. With a big hug, the two let out a shaky breath. "Thank you," Aria whispered. She had seen Emily pull out her phone, but tried not to look or say a word. That was their lifeline and it could have gotten the girl killed.

"Han," Aria called after that. Hanna was still frozen in place with tears in her eyes. Walking over, Hanna embraced the two of them two.

"Its over," Spencer called walking up to them when they finished hugging. Laughing and smiling, the four all hugged each other.

"What happened here?' Jason asked coming in off guard and panicked. Brushing away her tears, Aria quickly launched herself into his arms.

"It's okay now Jason," Veronica replied, coming over to the other three teen girls. Laying her hands on her daughter's shoulders, she kissed her head. She had almost lost Spencer today.

"We're free," Emily claimed softly. Giving a sad smile, Hanna agreed and laid her head on Emily's shoulder.

"Wait…not quite," Spencer said halting the moment.

Pulling away from Jason after hearing that, the four of them looked at each other. "Wren!" they all called together with panicked faces.

"Mom! You have to call the cops on Wren! He's in it too – he did it!"

"Did what?" Veronica asked trying to keep up with Spencer's babble. "He's with Mona, he's part of 'A'! He killed Holden and spiked Emily's sports cream… He took the file from Ali's report and who knows what else!" she exclaimed.

"What? Girls how do you-?"

"Please call!" Spencer begged, cutting off her questions. Nodding, Mrs. Hastings went to go talk to the police.

"I love you," Aria breathed into Jason's chest as she hugged him again. Not only after having a gun to her head and facing the brink of death, she had learned Jason was almost put into jeopardy.

"I love you too," Jason said hesitantly wrapping his arms around Aria as his confusion was heightened. She was grabbing onto him acting like she had almost lost him. What was going on? What was over? Who was 'A'? And what did all of this escalate to?

"Aria," Jason said trying to pull her back to ask her all types of questions.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know," she answered wiping her tears away.

"He's being arrested and brought into custody," Mrs. Hastings called walking back into the house. "Now, does someone want to tell me the whole story?"


	40. Chapter 40

_**A/N: Last chapter *tears*. It's been a fun ride! Thank you EVERYONE for reviewing!  
**_

_**P.s. Yes, I was thinking of doing a sequel. I am trying to set it up for this season of PLL (in my story it would be incorporated as the girls' second semester of high school with 'A'). What do you all think? Yes or no? **_

* * *

While the three girls stayed and filled in Mrs. Hastings, Aria took Jason back to his house and went to explain everything to him there. She had only gotten to maybe a third of the story when he stopped her.

"Wait, so your telling me you were being blackmailed this whole time we were together?"

"And before that," she breathed out nervously.

"And you didn't tell me because…"

"You could have gotten hurt or killed...like Holden," she swallowed hard. Confusion spread across his face and she hesitantly explained. "'A' – I mean Wren and Mona – they switched Holden's heart pills for some placebo ones and when he competed that one night, his heart gave out from not having his medication. He died because of me."

Aria waited for the disgust and hatred for her, but nothing came. Looking up to him, she saw he was still processing it all. "This is why you blamed yourself?"

"This is why his death is my fault," she claimed, "he died because of me. He died because we were trying to figure out who 'A' was and we were getting to close. He was collateral damage and it was all because he was my friend!"

"Aria," Jason said trying to deal with this topic first. Taking her hands, he kept them in his.

"Its true," she replied weakly.

"I think if you are trying to blame someone, it should be this 'A' person. It was Wren and Mona, not you. Just because he was your friend Aria…it doesn't matter. You couldn't have stopped it."

"Why don't you hate me?" she wondered. "You should be mad and repulsed by me. I had to do all these things and hide the truth from you."

"Trust me, I don't like that part," he sighed, "but I can't let you think of Holden's death as your fault. It wasn't Aria, it had nothing to do with you in the way you are thinking."

Aria sat there on his couch looking down at their hands. Could he be right?

"What else happened with 'A'?" Jason wondered in the silence. Biting her lip, Aria glanced up at him and continued to tell the story. It was over after another long hour, touching base on almost everything that happened between then and now.

Leaning over to her, Jason swept her into a kiss and wrapped her in his arms. She hovered above him with his lips attached to hers. His hands roamed up her back, to her hips and pushed her forward for more. He was so dominate with their kiss yet his hands were so gentle. Rolling her carefully onto her back, Jason moved so he was hovering on top of her to break the kiss.

"Never keep something from me like that again okay? I couldn't handle it if I lost you," he told her, staring at her brown eyes with love.

"It was for you," she replied softly, bringing a hand up to his face. His green eyes were so pure and magical. She couldn't imagine a life without him or losing him like she did Holden. 'A' was gone, out of their lives. There was an emotion that Aria couldn't place lingering about when she said that, but she ignored it, enjoying his arms and comfort.

"I'll never leave you Aria," he told her bringing his own hand up to hold hers. Enjoying his touches, Aria leaned up and kissed him again. He wasn't mad, frustrated or upset – well, he was all of those things, but not to her. When she told him the long story, he looked ready to pop a vessel, but none of the anger was aimed towards her.

"What?" Aria breathed when he broke their kiss and shook his head. His jaw clenched a bit and she spiked with worry. "You had a gun pressed to your head today – my dad's. How did that happen?"

Aria let out a relieved breath. It wasn't him changing his mind about hating her or the Holden situation. "'A' has ways to get whatever he and she needs. Mona or Wren probably broke in from wherever he kept it and took it for other purposes."

Jason gave a frustrated sound and moved off of Aria. Now she was worried again.

"This went on…for so long. Aria, how could I not have known?"

"The purpose was for you not to know," she commented. "It was dangerous if you knew anything Jason. I didn't want 'A' to hurt you."

"But-"

"No," she said. "It had to be like this."

"You have no idea how hard it was to keep all this from you," she sighed, "and you caught on a lot. So many times it worried me on what I was going to do."

His jaw clenched again. He was so mad underneath all of his love for Aria. It wasn't because of her that he was mad, but that this 'A' person was capable of such a thing. How could Wren and Mona do this?

Hearing a knock on the door, Aria glanced to Jason, who was still lost in his own thoughts, to the door. Deciding to get it, she walked over to the front of the house and opened it.

"Sorry to interrupt Aria," Mrs. Hastings said with her friends waiting in the car. "The police need you to come down to the station and get your statement. Its vital to putting Wren away as an accessory."

Aria swallowed hard and felt her heart flutter when Jason joined them, interlocking his hand with hers.

"Right, okay," Aria breathed. Giving her boyfriend a smile, she went to grab her purse and put on her shoes. "Do you know if Spencer has her USB drive?"

"I don't," Mrs. Hastings said looking from her to Jason. "I'm coming with you," Jason said before she could leave with Veronica.

"Jase-"

"Ar, I'm coming," he said. Grabbing his own shoes and jacket, he took her hand again and locked the door to the house behind him. Part of her self felt relieved that he was coming but the other was just as nervous. To repeat the story again and again, and to finally face the 'A's of their game was a huge thing to do; so much could still go wrong.

"I'll follow you," he told Veronica with his keys in hand.

"Aria, you should ride with us," she spoke, guiding her to her car. Glancing to Jason he gave her a small nod and agreed. "I'll catch up with you," he called. Biting her lip, Aria nodded and walked over to the car. "Do you have the drive?" she wondered to all three before going to shut her car door.

"I couldn't find mine anywhere," Emily said.

"Mine's been erased," Hanna grumbled as she held the empty device in her hand.

"Mona must have taken mine when she was upstairs," Spencer said turning around from the passenger side to them. Sighing, Aria got out of the car again.

"Ar?" Jason wondered sticking his head out of the window when he saw her get out.

"I need you to unlock your door," she called to him, making a move to go back inside his house. He gave her a puzzled look and he turned off his car to follow her directions. "Did you forget something?"

"Something like that," she responded while stepping inside. Slipping off her boots, Aria walked towards the couch and felt around for the zipper of the cushion. When she found it, she dug through the fuzz and took out her jump drive.

His eyebrow rose when he saw her get some device and she felt a small blush bloom on her cheeks. "Its evidence."

Still perplexed, he went with the flow and waited till she had her shoes back on to leave.

"You kept yours at his house this whole time?" her friends asked shocked when she got back into the car and Mrs. Hastings pulled out of Jason's driveway.

"His house is the safest place I know," she murmured back. Besides his arms Aria couldn't think of anywhere else she knew where both her and the jump drive would be safe. 'A' had never stepped foot into Jason's place from what she knew.

"We're here," Mrs. Hastings told them as she parked. Each of the girls took in a deep breath and steadied themselves.

"Ready?" Spencer asked them as they all faced the police station.

"Ready," Hanna chirped, putting her hand in Spencer's.

"Ready," Emily said a little less confident, placing her hand in Hanna's.

"Lets do this," Aria sighed, setting her hand in Emily's and wrapping her arm around Jason's waist as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

* * *

"This isn't over," Wren called in his famous accent. The police had him in an interrogation room, firing off questions based on the girls statements. It took them a while to each go through the long and detailed story but they finally ended it.

"All stories really do have an ending," Emily said as they watched Wren from behind the mirror.

"And a happy one at that," Spencer said as she too was staring at Wren.

"Not for all of us," Hanna murmured as she stood looking at Mona, who was sitting at the interrogation table quietly. Two mirrors, one room, and four girls couldn't observe enough. Wren was chatting up a storm, saying how this would never be over while Mona was just sitting quietly, murmuring to herself on her mistakes.

"She's going to be put in a mental hospital," Mrs. Hastings said, coming back from talking with the police. "As for Wren, he's been charged with murder, tampering with evidence, stalking, and much more. He will be going away for a long time."

"Not long enough," Aria murmured mostly to herself. Jason caught the comment and hugged Aria to him a little harder. Nothing ever bad was going to get her anymore. After today – after almost losing her and hearing how he let things slip, he vowed it wouldn't happen again.

"Its never over!" Wren said knocking his chair over. It startled the girls a bit, making them all look at him. "You don't think you can really call the case closed now can you? You don't think I have tricks up my sleeves or other people involved? Let me ask you this, how did we know all the secrets about these girls? Who do you think told us and supposedly killed Ian? You don't think I did, did you? I was working and Mona is too little. This game isn't over, it's just starting."

A chill ran down each of the girls' spines and Jason and Veronica led the girls out of the room.

"Remember what I said Aria," Mona called, almost like she knew they were all leaving. "Remember!"

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you all again. It's all complete! What a bittersweet moment =( Hopefully everyone enjoyed it (and yes there are supposed to be some loose ends and things that still don't make sense since the story may go on!) Please let me know if I should do a sequel or keep it as is. I loved writing for this pair so I will probably come up with more soon (and maybe just not publish it – who knows). Mucho love ~LiVeUrLiFe011**_


	41. Sequel!

_**Hey all! So if you haven't seen it, the new sequel is up! Its called "me in time, will change". It's actually going to be a longer story too – I'm in the process of working on it. There should be a few interesting new detail, twists, turns and a new adventure too. Check it out and tell me what you think!**_

_**~LiVeUrLifE011  
**_


End file.
